Hello spring school holidays Melbourne! This year the holidays run from Friday 15 September – Sunday 1 October 2023, with the Grand Final long weekend in between Friday 27 September – Sunday 29 September.
Here’s your mega list of school holiday events in Melbourne’s CBD and Docklands, sorted by date.
Click here for spring school holiday events in Melbourne’s north, south, east, west
Click here for free spring school holiday events Melbourne
- Circus Oz Aurora (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – Dive into a wondrous realm of stunning visual projections, jaw-dropping acrobatics and awe-inspiring artistry with Aurora.
- The Winter Village (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 29 Sep) – ice rink, food & drink pop up bars, a mega igloo dining hall and an Igloo Village of 21 cosy igloos. Read my review.
- Marvel: Journey of Heroes (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 29 Sep) – free exhibition showcasing each of Marvel’s eight decades, starting with its origins as Timely Comics. Read my review.
- Terracotta Warriors and Cai Guo-Qiang (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 13 Oct) – Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality is a large-scale presentation of the Qin Emperor’s Terracotta Warriors. Presented in parallel, Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape, will see contemporary artist, Cai Guo-Qiang, create all new art works inspired by his home country’s culture and its enduring philosophical traditions. Read my review and Buy discount tickets to the Terracotta Warriors here.
- A Fairy Tale in Red Times NGV (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – free exhibition of contemporary Chinese art from Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery. Read my review.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 1 Dec) – musical of Roald Dahl’s iconic book. Read my review.
- Wonka Bar (Wed 18 Sep – Sun 31 Jan) – Enjoy scrumdiddlyumptious desserts, candylicious cocktails and a Wonkariffic kids high tea for kids inspired by the musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Read my review.
- Laser Beak Man (Thu 19 Sep – Sat 21 Sep) – See the cult-classic artwork come to life with full-stage animations and over 35 original puppets by Dead Puppet Society.
- Artplay (Fri 20 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – free and paid workshops.
- Melbourne Fringe Festival (Fri 20 Sep – Sun 29 Sep) – kid-friendly free and paid events.
- KAWS Playtime NGV (Fri 20 Sep – 13 Ap 20) – As part of KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness, KAWS has created a playful exhibition for children that illuminates the artist’s methods of working and creative approaches to imagery sourced from popular culture, toy production and collectables.
- NGV Arty Party (Sat 21 Sep) – Be a part of the teen takeover of NGV during Art Party. Explore art and design, meet new people, and enjoy live performance.
- Terracotta Warriors High Tea (Sat 21 Sep– Sun 22 Sep, Sat 28 Sep – Sun 29 Sep) – luxurious Chinese-themed high tea where you can paint your own chocolate terracotta warrior. Read my review
- O’Briens Group Arena (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – introduce kids to the fun of skating every day of the school holidays. Plus spectacular ‘Fire on Ice’ will light up O’Brien Icehouse during the school holidays when circus performing ice skater, Tim Matousek juggles sticks of fire while skating around the arena.
- Angry Birds SEA Life Melbourne Aquarium (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – We’re celebrating the release of The Angry Birds 2 Movie by encouraging kids to take flight with Bomb, Red, Chuck and friends and join ‘Bird Island Academy!’
- Immigration Museum (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – Reflect on your identity with drop-in school holidays activities developed by local artists Stanislava Pinchuk (aka Miso) and Paul Stillen.
- Riverslide Skate Park Learn2Ride (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – Riverslide Skate Park runs regular skateboard, BMX and scooter lessons for beginners as well as more experienced riders.
- Melbourne Star Observation Wheel (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – kids fly free during the school holidays. Read my review.
- The District Outdoor Adventure Park (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – Duck or jump to avoid a wipe-out on the Eliminator, see how fast you can complete the Mega Extreme commando course, play tug of war in the Extreme Sports Challenge to see who will make the touchdown, then master the back-flip, somersault and jump high on the Bungee Trampolines!
- Old Melbourne Gaol Escape the Gaol (Sat 21 Sep – Sun 6 Oct) – Participants will have the opportunity to become ‘inmates’ and must explore the Gaol to discover all the necessary clues to create the perfect ‘escape plan’. Read my review.
- African Festival Queen Victoria Market (Sun 22 Sep) – Experience African culture through its food, flavours, tastes, entertainment and arts & crafts.
- The Magic Workshop Arts Centre Melbourne (Mon 23 Sep) – Melbourne magician Lee Cohen leads sessions showcasing a range of magical skills and you’ll even be given a goodie bag of tricks to take home to amaze your family and friends.
- Story Catching with Trace Balla Botanic Gardens Melbourne (Mon 23 Sep) – Come and catch a story to celebrate the Threatened Species Children’s Art Exhibition at Melbourne Gardens with award-winning author and illustrator Trace Balla (Rivertime, Rockhopping).
- Songlab Arts Centre Melbourne (Mon 23 Sep – Thu 26 Sep) – In this four-day course, budding songwriters will refine their craft working with experienced songwriters at The Channel.
- Starry Southern Skies Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (Mon 23 Sep, Mon 30 Sep) – See the roof of the Melbourne Observatory rotate and open to view the amazing Australian night sky.
- Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium (Mon 23 Sep – Fri 5 Oct) – school holiday program with full educational tour, an exclusive look behind-the-scenes, art and craft activities and the chance to meet aquarium aquarists and keepers.
- Melbourne Library Service (Mon 23 Sep – Fri 4 Oct) – various workshops and activities, all free.
- Kids Can Cook Sheraton Melbourne (Mon 23 Sep – Fri 4 Oct) – children’s afternoon tea inspired by circus. Full review.
- Disney Junior Minnie Mouse High Tea The Langham (Mon 23 Sep – Fri 11 Oct) – From polka-dot shortbread cookies to Honey Joy flowers, our menu features a pink polka-dot theme inspired by our favourite fashionista.
- Puppetmasters Workshop Arts Centre Melbourne (Tue 24 Sep) – Led by an experience puppeteer, you will learn how to operate a puppet using the Bunraku technique.
- Code Like a Girl (Tue 24 Sep – Thu 26 Sep, Tue 1 Oct – Thu 2 Oct) – explore a variety of virtual habitats and dig into data to uncover strategies to keep our favourite creatures off the endangered list.
- Code Camp (Tue 24 Sep – Fri 4 Oct) – During the camps, kids create and build their own game, learn about user design and the psychology of user experience.
- Lego Educational Centre (Tue 24 Sep – Fri 4 Oct) – 2 hour Lego workshops from 3+ years. READ THE REVIEW.
- New Paper World Arts Centre Melbourne (Wed 25 Sep) – Using recycled newspapers we will design a maze of spaces, objects and wearable items.
- Jams for Fams MSO (Wed 25 Sep) – MSO invites YOU for an interactive musical adventure exploring Felix Mendelssohn’s vibrantly vivid, vivacious, vital and volatile Violin Concerto!
- Little Food Festival Fed Square (Wed 25 Sep – Thu 26 Sep) – Using art and play, The Little Food Festival offers a simple and fun opportunity for little ones to consider complex food topics such as health and sustainability.
- Tetris Arts Centre Melbourne (Wed 25 Sep – Sat 28 Sep) – This unique dance work uses strength, agility and acrobatic skill to mimic and reimagine moves from not only the cross generational game ‘Tetris’ but also ‘Twister’ and the all-time favourite ‘Rubik’s Cube’.
- Footy Festival (Wed 25 Sep – Sat 28 Sep) – AFL Kids Zone at Yarra Park, Woolworths AFL Playground, with goal kicking, handballing and heaps of fun to be had. Full review.
- Hawker 88 Night Market (Wed 25 Sep, Wed 2 Oct) – Step under the Market’s iconic sheds and feast on authentic street food from Thailand to Japan, Vietnam to Korea, and Malaysia to Sri Lanka at more than 20 food stalls.
- The Lost Forests (Wed 25 Sep, Thu 3 Oct) – Join The Lost Forests expert storytellers and their fabulous toy maker Bridie for a 1.5 hour creative toy making session. Read my review.
- Young Writers School Holiday Program: Building Great Characters (Thu 26 Sep) – free school holiday writing program for 12-15 years.
- City Beats Arts Centre Melbourne (Thu 26 Sep) – masterclass in audio production and beat making.
- Australian Ballet Behind the Scenes (Fri 27 Sep) – Watch as ballet dancers take class on stage and fine-tune their technique in preparation for a performance.
- AFL Grand Final Parade (Fri 27 Sep) – streets of Melbourne will again play host to the 2018 Toyota AFL Grand Final Parade.
- A Day in the Life of You Wonderland Spiegeltent (Fri 27 Sep – Sun 29 Sep) – Full of themes of independence and belonging, this show has delightful characters, catchy songs, fun-filled audience participation, live instruments and dance.
- The District Makers Market (Sun 29 Sep) – Each market will be themed, so you will see a brand-new line up every month, with an array of homemade goodies, handmade homewares and jewellery, arts and crafts and everything in between!
- Queen Street Plaza (Sun 29 Sep) – In the heart of the Market on Queen St, you’ll find a ‘hot spot’ with a sea of umbrellas and the sounds of music.
- Drop By Art Making NGV (Mon 30 Sep – Thu 3 Oct) – free drawing activity inspired by the First Emperor’s gardens and the art works on display in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Terracotta Warriors.
- Spring into Nature Botanic Gardens Melbourne (Wed 2 Oct) – romp through family-focused nature play activities designed to stimulate the senses and enliven the soul.
- Poster Marking Australian Music Vault (Wed 2 Oct) – Starting with a guided tour of the Australian Music Vault exhibition, this workshop encourages you to explore the world of poster-making.
- Wheeler Kids Poetry and Spoken Word Workshop (Wed 2 Oct) – teaching kids about the building blocks of performance poetry, and the possibilities of rhythm, rhyme and sound.
- Young Writers School Holiday Program: Slam, Rhythm and Poetry (Fri 4 Oct) – Explore rap, poetry and performance with Mantra, one of Australia’s most respected hip-hop artists.
- Monster Jam (Sat 5 Oct) – Monster Jam is a fantastic event that’ll easily entertain the whole family with unexpected, unscripted and unforgettable stunts being performed by talented Monster Jam drivers in massive (4m tall by 4m wide and 5,500kg!) Monster Jam trucks.
- Pirate Sunday Polly Woodside (Sun 6 Oct) – Dress as a pirate and come help us search for hidden treasure, play tug of war and have your face painted. Full review.
Don’t forget these HOT CBD locations as well:
Chipmunks at The District Docklands
Shrine Kids free discovery trail for children at the Shrine of Remembrance.
And my favourite child friendly restaurants and cafes in Melbourne CBD.
Click here for spring school holiday events in Melbourne’s north, south, east, west
Click here for free spring school holiday events Melbourne
I hope this post has helped or inspired you! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to find out more ways for your family to have fun together!