What’s On in Melbourne – October 2025

If you’re new to Urban Scavenger Hunt Trails or want more information about how to play, try these links:
Here’s a short piece on how to Play The Global Game
and another on registering for a Trail.

Spring has properly arrived in Naarm/Melbourne: gaming weeks and runway weeks, tulip fields and marathon finish-line feels, bowl-size jazz and after-dark Halloween thrills. October opens with the Royal Show’s final days and MIGW’s citywide energy, ramps into PAX weekend and marathon Sunday, then pivots to Fashion Week and a festival of jazz at the Bowl—plus plenty of markets, workshops, family days and late-night adventures in between.

Pop Culture & Community:
Concerts & Music:
Art & Exhibitions:
Festivals & Special Events:
Theatre, Performance & Dance:
Sport:
Food, Drink & Nightlife:
Workshops & Learning:
Conferences & Expos:
Want more What’s On details?

Pop Culture & Community:

1. Melbourne Royal Show — Final Days
   • Dates: 25 Sep–5 Oct
   • Where: Melbourne Showgrounds
   • Details: Rides, showbags, stunt shows and nightly fireworks closing on the first October weekend.
2. Queen Victoria Market — Cachivaches Latin Market
   • Dates: 4–5 Oct
   • Where: Queen Victoria Market
   • Details: Latin food, music and artisan stalls.
3. Rose St Artists’ Market (Fitzroy) — Weekend Editions
   • Dates: Every Sat & Sun in Oct
   • Where: Rose St, Fitzroy
   • Details: 100+ independent makers, prints, ceramics and gifts.
4. Heide Market
   • Date: Sat 11 Oct
   • Where: Heide Museum of Modern Art
   • Details: Curated makers’ market in sculpture-garden surrounds.
5. Collins Square Fashion Market (M/FW)
   • Dates: 22–23 Oct
   • Where: Collins Square, Docklands
   • Details: 35+ stalls of local labels between runway sessions.
6. District Makers Market
   • Date: Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: The District Docklands
   • Details: Design, homewares and live entertainment by the water.

Concerts & Music:

1. MSO: Bruckner & Strauss
   • Dates: Thu 2 Oct & Sat 4 Oct
   • Where: Hamer Hall
   • Details: Late-Romantic glow under the baton of a star guest conductor.
2. Melbourne Ensemble: Lux Aeterna
   • Date: Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: Melbourne Recital Centre
   • Details: Radiant choral-inspired chamber program.
3. MSO: Impressions of Paris
   • Dates: Thu 23–Sat 25 Oct
   • Where: Hamer Hall
   • Details: French colour with guest soloist.
4. MIJF: Jazz at the Bowl feat. Harry Connick Jr.
   • Date: Sat 25 Oct
   • Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl
   • Details: Six-hour swing/soul showcase under the stars.

Art & Exhibitions:

1. NGV International & NGV Australia — Spring Exhibitions
   • Dates: All October
   • Where: St Kilda Rd & Fed Square
   • Details: Blockbusters and contemporary Australian programs across both sites.
2. Powerhouse Collabs @ ACMI (screen & design highlights during MIGW)
   • Dates: 4–12 Oct
   • Where: ACMI, Fed Square
   • Details: Exhibits and late nights tied to games and digital culture.

Festivals & Special Events:

1. Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW)
   • Dates: 4–12 Oct
   • Where: ACMI & city venues
   • Details: Showcases, education days, talks and late-night play.
2. PAX Aus 2025
   • Dates: 10–12 Oct
   • Where: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
   • Details: Australia’s largest gaming expo: panels, indies and tournaments.
3. Tesselaar Tulip Festival — Closing Week
   • Dates: to Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: Silvan (Dandenong Ranges)
   • Details: One million tulips, themed days and photo ops.
4. Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF)
   • Dates: 17–26 Oct
   • Where: Citywide
   • Details: 150+ gigs across 40+ venues, from clubs to major halls.
5. Melbourne Fashion Week (M/FW)
   • Dates: 20–26 Oct
   • Where: CBD
   • Details: Runways, talks, exhibitions, studio visits and pop-ups.

Theatre, Performance & Dance:

1. DanceX — Series 1
   • Dates: 8–11 Oct
   • Where: Arts Centre Melbourne
   • Details: Cross-company festival curated by The Australian Ballet.
2. DanceX — Series 2
   • Dates: 15–19 Oct
   • Where: Arts Centre Melbourne
   • Details: Contemporary and neoclassical highlights from around Australia.
3. Ancient meets Baroque (ABO x Rrawun Maymuru)
   • Dates: mid–late Oct (Melbourne dates within month)
   • Where: Recital venues
   • Details: Yolŋu songlines meet baroque soundworlds in a special collaboration.

Sport:

1. Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival
   • Date: Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: CBD to MCG
   • Details: Marathon, half, 10k, 5k and family walk finishing on the ‘G.
2. Spring Racing – Caulfield Guineas Day
   • Date: Sat 11 Oct
   • Where: Caulfield Racecourse
   • Details: Group-1 racing with trackside fashion and live music.
3. Spring Racing – Caulfield Cup
   • Date: Sat 18 Oct
   • Where: Caulfield Racecourse
   • Details: The world’s richest 2400m handicap — lawn parties and big hats encouraged.
4. Cox Plate Week
   • Dates: late Oct
   • Where: Moonee Valley
   • Details: The valley roars for Australasia’s great weight-for-age showdown.

Food, Drink & Nightlife:

1. Oktoberfest at Stomping Ground
   • Date: Sat 4 Oct
   • Where: Stomping Ground, Moorabbin
   • Details: Steins, pretzels, polka and limited releases.
2. CRFT* WRK at Queen Vic Market
   • Date: Sat 25 Oct
   • Where: QVM
   • Details: Design-led craft market with makers’ demos and tunes.
3. Oktoberfest in the Gardens
   • Date: Sat 18 Oct
   • Where: Catani Gardens, St Kilda
   • Details: Bier halls, oompah bands, DJs, silent disco and rides by the beach.
4. Luna Dark: Carnivale of Screams — Late Nights
   • Dates: Thu 23, Fri 24, Sat 25 & Thu 30, Fri 31 Oct + Sat 1 Nov
   • Where: Luna Park Melbourne
   • Details: Haunted mazes, roving ghouls and post-dark rides.

Workshops & Learning:

1. AIE Film Production Intensive
   • Date: Thu 2 Oct
   • Where: CBD campus
   • Details: Script, plan and shoot a short scene with industry mentors.
2. Work-Shop Melbourne — Maker Month
   • Dates: 3–30 Oct
   • Where: Fitzroy
   • Details: Watercolour (4 Oct), Ceramic Clock (5 Oct), Natural Lipstick (11 Oct), Sewing (12 Oct), Bookbinding (15 Oct), Soap-making (18 Oct), Linocut (18 Oct), Silver Ring (19 Oct), Mirror Etching (25 Oct), Copperplate Calligraphy (26 Oct), Bookbinding Masterclass (29 Oct), Tea Blending (30 Oct) and more.
3. CERES Adult Learning
   • Dates: All October
   • Where: Brunswick East
   • Details: Urban Farmer Basics, fermenting, garden design and sustainability courses.
4. Expressive Landscapes in Acrylics (Clair Bremner)
   • Dates: mid Oct (2-day workshop)
   • Where: Studio setting (Melbourne)
   • Details: Colour mixing, loose brushwork and composition for bold, joyful work.
5. MIGW: Careers + Frontiers
   • Dates: 4–5 Oct
   • Where: ACMI
   • Details: Education symposium linking students and the games industry.

Conferences & Expos:

1. PAX Aus Expo Hall
   • Dates: 10–12 Oct
   • Where: MCEC
   • Details: AAA to indie showcases, hardware, merch and meet-ups all weekend.

Want more What’s On details?

1. • What’s On Melbourne — Official
   • Visit Victoria — Events
   • Arts Centre Melbourne — What’s On
   • Melbourne Symphony Orchestra — What’s On
   • Melbourne International Jazz Festival
   • Melbourne Fashion Week
   • Melbourne International Games Week
   • PAX Aus
   • Queen Victoria Market — What’s On
   • NGV — What’s On
   • Luna Park Melbourne — Events

End summary: From screens and sneakers to sequins and swing, October is Melbourne in full flight. Book early for PAX and Marathon Sunday, grab a runway or two at Fashion Week, then wind down with tulip-field day trips, markets, workshops and jazz under the stars. Save some energy for Halloween — Luna Park’s late nights close out the month with a shriek and a grin.

These listings are curated for October 2025. Confirm dates/times and ticketing directly with organisers as schedules can change.