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Flowers blooming, sun shining, music vibing, smiling ear to ear – Spring is the best time to be in Melbourne. As the city springs to life, so too do the festivals and events.
The culture capital of Australia doesn’t restrain itself to just culture in Spring. We’re talking music, flowers, sport, racing, arts, and more. It’s all happening down in Melbourne.
Squeeze every last drop of Spring fun out of Melbourne city this year with our guide to the good times.
In this blog
What’s On this Spring in Melbourne
It’s time to celebrate the warmer weekends with flower-lined rooftops, alfresco dining, and strolling the blossoming parks as a crimson sun sets over the city.
But let’s be honest, the true magic of Melbourne in Spring is the events and festivals. Our advice, read this extensive guide and open your diary as you sip a prosecco under a sunny Melbourne sky. It’s about to get busy in the city, and you’re going to need to experience it all.
Have the springtime of your life this Spring in Melbourne with this guide to what’s on, festivals, and events.
Spring Festivals in Melbourne
Ready to dive into a multi-day experience? Then these festivals shouldn’t just be on your radar, they should be on your schedule. Fill the entire season with these Spring Festivals in Melbourne.
Fringe Festival: Get Weird After Dark
With over 350 events lighting up the city, the first of October can only mean one thing – Melbourne Fringe Festival is back. It’s three and a half weeks jam-packed with independent artists splashing colour, light, sound, and flavour to the already vibrant Melbourne streets.
Dark comedy, drag shows, death-defying circuses, it’s all waiting for you this October. There’s too much to even list here, so good luck squeezing it all in. Find what excites you this Melbourne Fringe Festival in their extensive program.
Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival: Charge into Spring
Now this is the big one – The Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival. This world-famous racing carnival extraordinaire that puts fashion and frivolity on the field. This four day carnival is made up of four individually sponsored events – Derby Day, Stakes Day, Oaks Day, Melbourne Cup – and attracts more than 300,000 fabulously dressed punters yearly.
Hosted at the famous Flemington Racecourse a short drive northwest of Melbourne city, punters have a choice of ticket options ranging from General Admission to exclusive luxury lounges and marquees.
One thing to note however, is that these four day events are not run consecutively, so keep an eye on the race dates.
Derby Day
Sending the Carnival off to the races is Derby Day on November 2. The starting day of the Carnival, what makes Derby Day a standout in the Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival is its traditional elegance. From its inaugural race in 1855, Derby Day has been known for its traditional black and white attire allowing fashionistas to strut their stuff on theme.
Melbourne Cup
The jewel on the Carnival and Australia racing’s crown is The Melbourne Cup. Affectionately known as ‘the race that stops the nation’, Melbourne Cup is where the Carnival comes alive. The fashions are bold, and the horse race itself is old - dating back to 1861.
Taking place on the first Tuesday of November, the day is celebrated by Victorians with a public holiday.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival: Add Some Swing this Spring
Now in its 27th year, Melbourne International Jazz Festival is coming in hot and swinging through the city. Internationally recognised as one of the best jazz festivals in the world, Melbourne International Jazz Festival is expecting to welcome over 60,000 jazz-lovers, musicians and artists to over 130 events across 10 days in October.
Filling up iconic venues like Hamer Hall, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and Melbourne Recital Centre plus many more intimate venues, Melbourne International Jazz Festival proudly showcases local and international artists who are actively shaping the future of jazz.
Discover the stacked line-up now and pick up your tickets before some other cool cat does.
Now or Never: Let’s Step Through the Looking Glass
An open invitation to celebrate creativity in a community for creatives, Now or Never is back for 2024 bringing visual language to the forefront. Across ten days and a number of Melbourne venues, hundreds of artists are coming together to inspire your curiosity and collective awe of the unknown.
This Spring, let’s push our collective boundaries with the boundary pushers themselves. Discover the extensive and exciting line-up here.
Events in Melbourne
If a whole festival isn’t your style, perhaps these stylish, sporty, and spectacular Melbourne Spring events are. Melbourne truly puts on a show for you this Spring with its epic line-up of world-class events.
Melbourne Fashion Week: More Fashion than on the Field
London. Paris. New York. Melbourne Fashion Week.
A series of fashion runaways, pop-up runways, fashion capsule exhibitions, and partner sponsored events are the backbone of this international spectacle. Every year, the Melbourne Fashion Week promotes a different cast of new, emerging, and established fashion designers and artists often featuring over 300 designers and retails across 100 events.
What makes Melbourne Fashion Week so special is how it seamlessly connects runway to retail, ensuring most looks featured on the runway are available to purchase from local Melbourne boutiques and retailers.
Melbourne Marathon: Race Your Heart Out
On October 13, 2024 it’s time to take to the streets for the annual Melbourne Marathon. A series of races held in a single day, the Melbourne Marathon hosts the most competitive marathon runners all the way to the 2.5km walkers.
If you need a bit of extra training, motivation, or new friends to help you conquer the Melbourne Marathon, free in-person training sessions are hosted every Wednesday and Sunday across the city.
Whether you want to run, hop, skip, or stroll to the finish line, registrations are filling up fast. Put your name in the race today.
Melbourne Ironman: Show Your Strength
Renowned as one of the best races in the city — yes, even against the Melbourne Cup — the Melbourne Ironman welcomes athletes from far and wide to run, swim, and cycle through the city.
Starting in St Kilda’s beautiful Catani Gardens, racers will compete through a beachside and CBD course running through the stunning beachside Port Phillip Bay, over boardwalks, and finishing with a picturesque sunset.
If you’re up to the challenge, sign up now. Or join the cheering crowds this year on November 10.
Melbourne Royal Show: Community Spirit in Bloom
It must be Spring if the Melbourne Royal Show is rolling into town. For 11 days each year, Victorians from all over the state and visitors from across the globe come to compete, marvel, and make memories at this wholesome community event.
Now over 175 years old, the Melbourne Royal Show is only getting bigger and better every year offering up countless farm and agricultural experiences, delicious food feasts, awesome entertainment and rides, and so much more.
Experience the best of the state in one place at the Melbourne Royal Show this Spring.
AFL Grand Final: The Ultimate Spring Showdown
To some this is the real race that stops the nation, the race to be crowned AFL Grand Champion of 2024.
On Saturday September 28th, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the two top teams from this year’s season to battle it out in a game that draws millions of viewers worldwide.
If you want to go big or go home for this grand final, ticket packages are already selling out so get in quick to secure your seat at this epic showdown.
Stay Close to All the Action at Rambla @ Solarino House
After a big day, or ten, of enjoying the best of Melbourne’s Spring festivals and events, rest your feet at Rambla @ Solarino House in Brunswick. With comfortable modern apartments, on-site dining, and even rooftop space to rest and reset, Rambla makes Melbourne feel like home.
Take Melbourne by storm this Spring when you stay at Rambla @ Solarino House. Book your home away from home today.
