One of 100 great things to do in Melbourne for under $10
the White Hat guide

Entertainment

Melbourne provides a great range of entertainment, and much of it is free or inexpensive.

For live shows and concerts you can try Half Tix (or is it HalfTix?) at the Melbourne Town Hall. They have reduced priced tickets on the day of the performance only. Tickets must be purchased in person on the day at their limited opening hours and are cash only  You can usually find some free gigs somewhere, and there are always plenty of free arts activities.

Perhaps the most obvious icon of this free entertainment is the Sidney-Myer Music Bowl. During Summer and Autumn you can lie under the stars and enjoy a symphony concert, ballet, opera or a variety of other entertainments. The entertainment is usually free. We recommend that you arrive early with a rug to spread on the grass and armed with some cheap champagne and delicacies and nibbles from one of the great delicatessens or markets around Melbourne. If the weather is kind you cannot help but feel good to be alive.

Melbourne's pubs (hotels) have nurtured some of the best rock bands this country has produced. If you can make two beers last all night, you can experience world class entertainment for under $10.

Melbourne's free-to-air television usually features some larrikin live shows that could have grown up nowhere else in the world. Because they are live and spontaneous, they can vary between dreadful and inspired. The tradition was probably founded by Graham Kennedy's In Melbourne Tonight, nurtured by shows like League Teams, and continues with programs such as The Footy Show. Give them a try. You'll either love them or hate them. If you're American, you'll certainly be confused. But they are very, very Melbourne.

You can find many buskers and street entertainers in Melbourne. And then there are the people who entertain by their very nature - you'll find them in pubs, on trams, in the foyer of concerts and in the streets.

You don't have to be rich to be entertained at the highest level in Melbourne. There is one major exception - if you prefer commercial entertainment, expect to pay commercial prices.

Telstra Ballet in The Bowl Did you miss this event? Then subscribe to our free email newsletter to receive advance notice of events such as this one. White Hat has kept its subscribers Informed since last century and has long become a Melbourne Institution for those Intelligent and Independent souls prepared to look beyond the bounds of either the mainstream -commercial or mainstream-alternative marketing machines. (However, be warned that we can occasionally be a little Irreverent.) Bring your family and friends, a rug and a picnic and join The Australian Ballet for a breathtaking evening of ballet under the stars. This program opens with a selection of pas de deux from some of ballets best known works. Classics including La Favorita, Le Corsaire, Black Swan and The Nutcracker pas de deux plus show stoppers Spring Waters and Diana and Acteon. The evening concludes with Leonide Massine's Les Presages set in 1933 to Tchaikovsky's magnificent Fifth Symphony. This large scale work is artistically striking and full of awesome ensemble movements. This one off performance will be a fantastic opportunity to see The Australian Ballet's extraordinary dancers demonstrate their exuberance and technical brilliance in some of ballet's most popular repertoire. Please note that breakable drinking glasses, elevated seating, hard-sided hampers, coolers and eskies, weapons and dangerous items, domestic animals, items which could impede other people’s enjoyment will not be permitted into the venue. 8pm (gates open at 4pm), Friday 28 March 2008 Sidney Myer Music Bowl - Free

Fairfield Amphitheatre Summer Concert Series Fairfield Amphitheatre comes alive again this February with the Summer Series Concerts every Sunday evening.Kick back and relax with a picnic supper at these weekly, family-friendly, free outdoor shows whilst you enjoy music from all over the globe, but don’t forget to bring a cushion and a hat. Refreshments will be on sale on the day or BYO 5pm to 8pm, Sundays, 1 to 22 February 2009 Fairfield Amphitheatre, Fairfield Park - (Mel ref 30 J12) Free Enquiries: 1800 010 069

See also:

• Events in Country Victoria
• Festivals in Melbourne

• Events in Australia

If your budget runs to more than $10 you may wish to check out our listing of other Melbourne Events.

Related Australian Television links

Kylie Minogue