Melbourne holiday: Things to do in Victoria during a winter break

A slew of blockbuster events, shows and art installations have come to Australia and they’re all presented in Melbourne this winter. Here are six of the best.

Rain Room

Foodie's stomping ground, thriving arts scene, sporting mecca, live music capital, sartorial epicentre, Australia's fastest-growing city … Melbourne wears the mantle of many different titles. But no matter which facet of the city you're most familiar with, one thing's for sure: this southeastern city knows how to throw an event.

Even in the dead of winter, the city's puffer-jacket tribe refuse to hibernate. In fact, when the weather turns chilly, Melbourne heats up with more gigs, festivals, blockbuster exhibitions and shows than can fit on a calendar, warmed by a sunny outlook and 24-hour, boundary-pushing food and drink scene. Here are just a few events worthy of a winter getaway.

RAIN ROOM

Captivating selfie-obsessed crowds in London, New York, Shanghai and Los Angeles, the groundbreaking installation Rain Room is making its Southern Hemisphere debut in August. Internationally acclaimed as 'strikingly beautiful', a 100-square-metre field of continuous rainfall responds to human presence by ceasing to fall as you move through the artwork, almost like magic.

Will you get wet? You'll have to experience the magic for yourself.

Rain Room will premiere at Jackalope Pavilion in August 2019. Tickets will be available for purchase from Thursday, July 4, 2019. More info: jackalopehotels.com/art/rainroom

NEW GALLERIES

This year, Melbourne flung open the door to two new contemporary art spaces: Buxton Contemporary in the heart of the Arts Precinct and Lyon Housemuseum Galleries in the quiet, leafy suburb Kew. Both new public art spaces and collections are philanthropic donations.

Gifting his collection to the University of Melbourne, property mogul Michael Buxton contributed more than $26 million to help bring Buxton Contemporary to life, funding the build of the exhibition space and ongoing operations for the next 20 years.

"It remains the largest act of philanthropy in the history of Australian universities between the collection, the building and the funds. It's quite an extraordinary gift," says Ryan Johnston, director of the gallery. "Melbourne really has an unparalleled offering when you consider the Arts Precinct, which includes most cultural establishments within walking distance of each other."

Back in 2009, Corbett and Yueiji Lyon opened up their home as an avant-garde museum, welcoming some 14,000 visitors over the years to appreciate their collection. The new public gallery is positioned next door to the family home, connected by striking lit-up spikes, sculptures in themselves. While the original Housemuseum is available to visit only by appointment on designated days each year, the new Housemuseum Galleries building is open to the public from Tuesdays to Sundays each week.

"We're all about sharing what we've done, and to be able to have the capacity to build this new building and present exhibitions that we hope to continue showing, it's a great privilege," Corbett Lyon says. "We're really excited about the 16 contemporary artists we've commissioned work for our new galleries. Every single one of them is fantastic artwork."

WHITE NIGHT REMINAGINED

Now in its seventh year, Melbourne's blockbuster late-night party returns, only this time with a new spin, aptly titled White Night Reimagined. Melbourne's iconic cultural institutions will, once again, come alive with programming and extended hours, but this year, three new key precincts: Carlton Gardens, Treasury Gardens and Birrarung Marr will offer three new creative experiences. Another new addition to the event, local and international artists will share interactive, immersive artworks, set to a soundtrack of live music serenading the city and food markets to warm your belly.

"Melbourne has always been the cultural capital, and this initiative will ensure it maintains that mantle," says White Night artistic director David Atkins. "This reimagined event will create unique and exciting opportunities for artists, performers, cultural practitioners and institutions with a broader program and more nights to experience it."

August 22-24. More info: https://whitenight.com.au/melbourne/

COME FROM AWAY

Move aside, a certain boy wizard — there’s another Broadway hit in town. Award-winning musical Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of how a tiny community in Newfoundland, Canada, opened its arms to thousands of travellers stranded in the wake of the September 11  tragedy. Winner of four Olivier awards this year, Come From Away’s debut at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District will be the first time the production has toured outside of North America and the UK.

“Melbourne continues to lead the nation as its theatrical capital with the announcement of the refurbishment of the Comedy Theatre to host the Australian premiere of the Broadway musical Come From Away,” says Come From Away producer Rodney Rigby.

Come From Away opens at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre on Saturday, 20 July. More info: comefromaway.com.au

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

It seems Australians can't get enough of the blockbuster stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on the original new story by J.K. Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany. In fact, the stage show has been such a hit, 50,000 new tickets were released last month, ensuring more fans can experience this rich and immersive experience at the Princess Theatre.

Presented in two parts, the play-meets-magic-show-meets-everything-you-never-knew-could-happen-in-theatre picks up 19 years on from the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, following the adventures of Albus Potter, whose father is now the celebrated Aura, Harry Potter.

Sure to impress even the most diehard fans, the cherished theatre has undergone a $6.5 million makeover, transforming its interiors into a Potter-inspired extravaganza. No detail has been spared — you'll feel like you managed to push your way through Platform 9 ¾.

Showing at Melbourne's Princess Theatre. Currently booking until March2020. More info: https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/au/

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS AND CAI GUO-QIANG

Ten of the Qin Emperor’s supreme life-size warriors and soldiers have made their way from China to Melbourne, alongside more than 150 other exquisite treasures of historic Chinese art and design. The NGV’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition presents the ten 2200-year-old figures alongside new works by contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang including a spectacular installation of 10,000 suspended porcelain birds, each individually pigmented by Cai’s signature gunpowder explosions.

Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality and Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape runs until October 13 at NGV International. More info: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/terracotta-warriors-cai-guo-qiang/

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) rolls out the red carpet this August to present an 18-day binge of Australian films, contemporary world cinema, documentaries, retrospectives, discussions and special events. The Australian Dream, written by journalist Stan Grant, will open the festival, a powerful documentary exploring the racism Adam Goodes endured during his AFL career. Hot from critical praise at Sundance, the festival's Centrepiece Gala will present Little Monsters, a horror-comedy following the plight of a kindergarten teacher attempting to save her class from a plague of zombies. The Family Gala will host the premiere of H Is for Happiness, a heart-warming film about a tween with boundless optimism trying to mend her broken family. Beyond the gala screenings, MIFF will host over three hundred events in 12 venues spreading out across the city and beyond.

The full program will be announced on Tuesday, July 9. Tickets to Opening Night, Centrepiece and Family Gala events are on sale now. More info: http://miff.com.au/

Originally published as Melbourne holiday: Things to do in Victoria during a winter break