50 Romantic Things to do in Melbourne & Victoria

This event seems a wonderful match of venue and entertainment. Our heritage homes can often be pigeonholed as places for historic re-enactments, but they are very young in European terms and were usually created as places to entertain and host cultural activities.

So Frenchy So Chic provides the opportunity to picnic with choice deli foods, entertain the kids, dance on the grass listen to French bands and all in civilised surroundings. 30-somthings with children and a taste for the good life - this is particularly for you. More info & booking details

Our rating - 5 Hats

Melbourne is one of the few cities that can pin-point the time, date and the people who first founded it. The Melbourne Regatta was first held on 30 August 1838, making it the first in Australia. In 2016 the Melbourne Passenger Boating Association will deliver a magnificent waterside spectacle to celebrate the connection between Melbourne and the sea.

Born out of a river settlement, developed through trade and immigration, stabilised by gold and farming, the city owes much to the ships who made that connection. The rivers and the great bay have been bountiful, providing food, leisure, relaxation and a highway to the rest of the world. Discover too, the land before it became Melbourne. Learn about the people and the natural landscape that existed long before, and why this made Melbourne a perfect place to build a village.

See a spectacle of cruising boats, dressed especially for the occasion. Hop aboard free ferry cruises around Victoria Harbour, be part of a Welcome to Country ceremony, and hear Father Bob bless the fleet.

You can also enjoy live entertainment with Normie Rowe, along with reggae, calypso, and blues bands. Plus there'll be walking tours, story-telling, roving entertainers, a mass choir and the Sunday market with many food stalls and local cafes. Everyone is invited to join in the fun and excitement and celebrate Melbourne's maritime and indigenous history.

Rosa Voto and her troupe from the Melbourne School of Tarantella will be performing their intoxicating songs and dances. Salvatore, will share the stories of his homeland through song. Lina and Tony of Rose Creek Estate will be showcasing their quality range of Italian-style wines, olive oil and preserved olives. Mara Ripani of Village Dreaming will be putting on a special performance called Kitchen Songs. Descendants of the original Swiss-Italian family who once farmed the property, Faye and Boyd Thompson will give an authentic tour of the original farmhouse.

In addition, good regional fare will be available from La Trattoria and its wood-fired oven. Several stallholders will be showcasing their wares and handicrafts.

To the best of White Hat’s knowledge, this event or location is currently cancelled, postponed or suspended due to COVID-19 precautions. If in doubt check with the organiser or institution involved. White Hat will constantly monitor events and venues in an attempt to update listings when conditions change.

Nocturnal is the transformation of the museum into an adult playground.

Enjoy a rotating list of the latest bands and DJs performing live in the museum, with open bars, great food, roving entertainment, discussions with museum experts and learning experiences across collections, cultures and time.

These are after-hours events for adults 18 years and over.

White Hat can thoroughly recommend this vibrant seafood festival come street party. Enjoy mussels and other seafood cooked in a wide variety of ways all accompanied by one of Melbourne's best free jazz festivals. Street vendors combine with the market's own restaurants to provide plenty of variety from the cheap and cheerful through to chef-prepared restaurant dishes. Sit in the sun with a cold sangria and a hot mussel paella or enjoy a craft beer with wok cooked drunken mussels.

Details at Port Phillip Mussel Festival

Our rating - 4 Hats

The Moonee Valley Festival comes to an end in great style with a full day of food, art and entertainment in a grand cultural celebration. There will be live music, roving performances and pop-up activities for all ages!

Headline performances for the Illuminate the River event include the X Factor’s Isaiah Firebrace, Melbourne-based five-piece Dinner Suit Boogie, soul powerhouse Kattimoni, internationally renowned circus company Gravity & Other Myths, Trucked Up aerialist performers, and Melbourne-based all girl acoustic trio Harlow & Hart.

There's plenty on offer for kids with ‘Beasties’ interactive show, the True Fairies storytelling, hula workshops and roving entertainers all afternoon. 

The celebration will continue into the evening with the talented Djirri Djirri Dance Group who will use dance as an interpretation of their culture to share stories about creation, family and Country.

Enjoy the sculptural lanterns of Lantasia by illustrator/designer Tyson Savanah, laser lights, projection art and pyrotechnics as the 2019 Moonee Valley Festival in closes in style.

Commencing in 2007 the Gertrude Street Projection Festival has grown to become  one of inner Melbourne’s most visible and accessible free large scale arts festival. The festival celebrates projection art and lets us see familiar spaces and buildings in new, inspired ways. It’s a collaborative, volunteer effort of artists and traders, residents and community groups all brought together by The Gertrude Projection Association.

For 10 evenings in July and in over 38 sites, the length of Gertrude Street in Fitzroy is illuminated by the visions of talented projections artists for the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. Buildings, laneways, footpaths and tree trunks light up with site-specific, curated projections. The Festival’s diverse arts program celebrates and connects our diverse community.

White Hat can thoroughly recommend the festival as a showcase of the edgy, arty inner suburbs. more info >>

Our rating - 4 Hats

The Riverboats Music Festival is the Murray River’s premiere contemporary music event.

Staged in the twin-towns of Echuca-Moama, Riverboats takes place under towering river red gums in a natural amphitheatre next to the mighty Murray. Historic paddlesteamers meander past all weekend, and occasionally the corellas get a bit raucous at sunset. There is one stage and plenty of room for dancing, great artists and some of the best food trucks going round.

White Hat can recommend taking a 2.5 hour trip from Melbourne to spend a weekend on the river for this annual celebration.

This year's lineup includes The Waifs, Tex Perkins - Far From Folsom, The Public Opinion Afro OrchestraMark Seymour & The Undertow, Augie March, Gabriella Cohen, Benny Walker, Jen Cloher, Don Walker, Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier, Fraser A. Gorman,  The Kill Devil Hills,  and Leah Senior 

Our rating - 4 Hats

Garden lovers can enjoy a free tour of the Government House gardens. Tours start at 11am and are free but bookings are essential.

The gardens feature magnificent lawns, specimen trees surrounded by large beds of trees and shrubs, and the Peace and Prosperity Kitchen Garden. The gardens also feature ceremonial trees planted by members of the Royal Family and previous Governors.

The tour goes for about one hour and you will need a general level of fitness. There are some steps, small hills and uneven surfaces.

While each tour caters for up to 30 people, there are no group bookings available.
Bookings close at 12 noon the day before the tour, or when the tour is full. Bookings can be made online through the official website

Wear casual clothes with sensible footwear. Bring photo ID (passport, drivers licence, student ID etc.,). Check in at the Government House Gatehouse 15 minutes before the tour starts.
Entry will involve passing through a security checkpoint and bag inspection.

You are encouraged to take public transport: Flinders Street Station is a 15 to 20-minute walk to Government House Take the St Kilda Rd/Coventry St tram - routes 3/3a, 5, 6,16, 64, 67 and 72 - and get off at the Grant Street - Police Memorial stop.

Parking is not available at the House. If you drive, there is metered parking on Linlithgow and Birdwood avenues.

Tours can be cancelled in extreme weather or for operational reasons.

The annual Moomba Fireworks running over three nights.

Experience Werribee Open Range Zoo in a whole new light with Sunset Safari.

In this new and exclusive after-hours event, spend a night out with some of the world’s most iconic animals. Start the evening with a complimentary drink on arrival at the pop-up bar then set off on one of the night’s three experiences. Adventure onto the Savannah for a guided sunset tour, feast with friends at an intimate dinner of African cuisine, and enjoy an immersive performance that showcases the rhythm and soul of Africa.

Proceeds from Sunset Safari help Zoos Victoria support international conservation partners such a Rhino Fund Uganda. Help fight wildlife extinction and be among the first to experience Werribee Open Range Zoo like never before.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival.

An annual event, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival literally takes over Australia's comedy capital, Melbourne, each autumn with an enormous program of stand-up comedy, cabaret, theatre, street performance, film, television, radio and visual arts.

Full details about individual shows and bookings at Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

White Night 2019 will return to the regional city of Ballarat from 7pm on Saturday 21 September until 2am on Sunday 22 September.

Local, interstate and international artists, musicians and performers will weave a spell over the city in a celebration of art, culture and creativity.

Under the artistic direction of David Atkins OAM, White Night Ballarat invites visitors and locals to make their journey around Ballarat’s iconic buildings, cultural institutions and streets, in celebration of reclaiming and reimagining the city through projection, installations, performance and music.

Full details at White Night Ballarat

Melbourne Latin Summer Festival is a multicultural festival, free event in the heart of Melbourne that focus purely on varying aspects and different contributions of Latin Culture within Melbourne and Victoria. The event has been created to include all categories and genres of entertainment from Latin America including but not limited to;

• Cuisine, Art
• Kids Area
• Night Life {Bar/Fonda Atmosphere(s)}
• Family Entertainment/Activities

as well as differing hand crafts, jewellery, educational and other stalls will be exhibited at the festival.

With photographs from across Australia and around the world together with a host of exhibitions and events the Ballarat Foto Biennale is the largest photography event in the Southern Hemisphere. Full information at Ballarat Foto Biennale

The Melbourne Horror Film Society holds its traditional screenings on the last Tuesday of every month at LongPlay in Fitzroy North. There are typically a few extra, special night's that pop up throughout the year, and you can find the information for each of our events on the MHFS website.

Memberships are required to attend these screenings and are available to purchase on the night. Mini memberships give you access to 3 screenings for just $15. Full memberships cover you for 12 screenings and will set you back $50.

If you're into the more B grade, gory, splatter filled side of horror, The Melbourne Horror Film Society holds its traditional screenings bring syou BLOOD RITUAL. Held on the last Saturday of the month in conjunction with True North in Coburg, the blood letting begins when darkness descends, and with free entry and cheap beer in skulls, it's a night well worth selling your soul for. Information for each of our events on the MHFS website.

It’s a Saturday evening in summer. You’re sitting in a park with family and friends, and a fabulous picnic dinner. The picture is complete when the glorious live music from Opera Australia begins.

Hear our brightest stars, under the stars, sing opera's most famous arias with the magnificent backing of Orchestra Victoria.

Dress up — or not — it's your night to enjoy the power of the human voice in the kind of communal, cultural celebration Melbourne loves best.

An annual event with stalls, entertainment and refreshments.

Experience the magnificent Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade on a one hour guided tour. Discover the rich history of this iconic building while taking in uninterrupted views of the Melbourne city skyline.