Melbourne is bringing back the city’s highly-anticipated festivities this winter! Kick off your winter break with Hive Life’s guide to the upcoming 2022 winter festivals and events in Melbourne you will not want to miss.
After almost two years, Melbourne is bringing back many exciting events this winter for you to relax and enjoy throughout the season! Visit downtown to explore the city’s vibrant streets and expect to be blown away by the many spectacular sights, delightful food and drinks available, as well as thrilling workshops and activities lined up. Look forward to some upcoming fiery shows, art exhibitions, winter wonderlands, foodie paradises, and the city’s long-awaited Winter Market this special season.
Explore Hive Life’s guide to the must-visit festivals and events in Melbourne this winter, and experience the artisanal crafts, unique trades, and delectable food and drinks the season has to offer!
Expos & Festivals
Lightscape
After successful launches in the US and the United Kingdom, Lightscape is making its debut in Melbourne this winter, offering an immersive lighting experience at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Dedicated to crafting extraordinary outdoor spaces with its artisanal outdoor lighting, Lightscape’s illuminating installations are stretched throughout 34 hectares of vibrant greenscape creating an astonishing yet serene atmosphere. Filled with striking and playful light creations, walking through the luminous pathways surrounded by radiating tree canopies is bound to be a magical experience.
Date: 24 June – 7 August
Location: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria 3004
Price: $36
Firelight
Keep your spirits high, and hearts warm, as Firelight returns this year with a grand celebration of the winter solstice. Experience the festival’s fiery wonders, with blazing new light installations, dynamic performances, and spectacular ceremonies. Spotlighting one of its essential programmes, the bespoke annual show pays tribute to winter solstice traditions with an extravagant fireworks display, flame sculptures, a magnificent fiery phoenix, as well as many other captivating fire performances.
The event has plenty more thrilling and fascinating entertainment to offer, including their epic selection of delicious BBQ meals, searing hot paellas, comfort soups, mulled wine, and freshly-made hot chocolate to keep you warm and fuel you through the festivities!
Date: 1 July – 3 July
Location: Docklands, 131-141 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, Victoria, 3008.
Price: Free Entry
Winter Glow, Adventure Park
Looking for the perfect winter paradise? Adventure Park’s Winter Glow is back, right in time for the season. Keep your eyes peeled for your next adventure, filled with more snow, enchanting lighting, exciting rides, as well as unmissable fire performances and beautiful ice sculptures. Step into the winter wonderland’s new Snow Flurry Experience for a frosty encounter as they shower the sky with snow!
For an even more memorable experience, get on board the Air Balloon ride, which launches you 15m high, to relish the splendid views of the park.
Date: 23 June – 10 July
Location: 1249 Bellarine Hwy, Wallington VIC 3222, Australia
Price: $34.5 (Click here for details)
Anything But Square: Under Surveillance
Renowned for its eccentric installations, world-class exhibitions, and thrilling events, Fed Square introduces yet another captivating concept this winter, with its Anything But Square: Under Surveillance programme! Experience a spine-chilling, dystopian world created to enact the notion of being watched wherever you go. The eerie yet intriguing 8-metre-high sculpture, The Eyes, set right at the centre of the main square is impossible to miss as its many eyes follow you, throughout your visit!
The event will host a Fed Live: Dance Dystopia every Friday, for you to dance away the night like the world is ending. In addition, its Surveillance Film Festival will feature a terror-striking selection of spy and surveillance-themed films, along with many other exciting programmes for families and kids to enjoy.
Date: 1 July – 7 August
Venue: Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Price: Free
Board Game BBQ Melbourne Game Day Winter 2022
For the board game enthusiasts in town, polish your skills and get ready for a grand festival filled with riddles, games, and plenty more brain-twisting surprises! Board Game BBQ Melbourne Gameday of Winter 2022 is hosted by Board Game BBQ, a dedicated group of expert board gamers based in Australia, who have captured the hearts of many locals with their spectacular range at their massive Games Library. Reminiscence of your childhood, as well as explore exciting new games, including, Super Fantasy Brawl, Too Many Bones, classic Escape Plan, and more!
Enjoy some delicious food and drinks while playing your favourites, or bring your own unique game to introduce to all. A Game Day would not be complete without a real-time competition, so expect action-packed games and surprise prize giveaways!
Date: 27 August
Venue: Olympic Hotel, 31 Albert Street, Preston, VIC 3072, Australia
Price: $15
Markets
Winter Night Market
Putting together a curated selection of the city’s most-loved street food vendors, local brewers, and artisans with many other spectacular sightings, the Winter Night Market is back after a long hiatus, bringing an endless wave of entertainment. Popping up every Wednesday evening, the night market is truly a winter wonderland with illuminated streets, roaring fire pits, an amazing selection of fashion, accessories, art, and more at unique stalls, and delectable treats served at food trucks. Expect the finest craft food and drinks, ranging from smoky barbecue and piping hot dumplings, to delectable brews and distilled beverages, to mulled wine. End your night with invigorating beats brought to you by local bands and artists, along with big-stage performances.
Date: 1 June – 31 August
Location: Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Price: Free Entry (Click here for details)
Art Exhibitions
The Lume Melbourne
Inaugurated last year with an immersive art exhibition celebrating artistic mastermind Vincent Van Gogh, The Lume Melbourne breathes new life into historic treasures through state-of-the-art technology that displays breathtaking animated visuals. As the first permanent digital art gallery in Australia, it features multi-sensory artworks of Van Gogh. Make sure to catch this transformative sensational exhibit, in a seamless new experience that engages all of your senses in an exhilarating art encounter.
Aside from Van Gogh’s legendary art selection, other short featurettes are expected to be showcased, spotlighting established artists and emerging digital media talents in the city.
Date: 27 August
Venue: Olympic Hotel, 31 Albert Street, Preston, VIC 3072, Australia
Price: $39-$44
Tipples & Tints
An eclectic, film noir-themed bar tucked away in an alley off Lonsdale Street, StoryVille hosts a recurring drink and paint event, Tipples & Tints in collaboration with celebrated local street artist – Bronik! Known for her metaphorical and quirky art form, her lively and exotic murals of women can be found around the nooks and corners of Melbourne. During the 3-hour paint class, you will get acquainted with your creative self, and have the opportunity to converse with the guest artist!
Express yourself on a blank canvas, and grab one of StoryVille’s delicious signature cocktails, as you craft your very own masterpiece.
Date: 21 July, 4 & 18 August, 1 September
Venue: 185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Entrance via Waratah Place
Price: $69
F&B
Fireside Yarra Valley
Delivering exceptional views, delightful cheese stops, gorgeous boutique accommodations, and some of Australia’s finest, most divine wineries, Wine Yarra Valley has created the ultimate getaway from the hectic cityscape, with Fireside Yarra Valley. Spanning across multiple wineries, this premier winter culinary experience presents a myriad of delectable delights to taste and experience over the course of the 16-day festival. The festival promises never-ending fun, as it brings unique programmes including fire-based cooking, a fireside pop-up gallery experience – YAVA Out and About, the Glow Twilight Winter Market, a wine and lunch with local winemakers, and plenty more!
Date: 9 – 23 July
Venue: Various locations (Click here for details)
Price: $37- $1,890 (Click here for details)
Featured banner image: melbournelightscape.com
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