If you’re looking for things to do in Melbourne this month, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking to keep cool indoors or just want to get out and about, here are some of the best events happening in Melbourne in January 2025. From family-friendly activities to markets and performances, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this month, so be sure to check out our list of things to do in Melbourne this January.

Also, don’t forget to check back often for updates and to see what’s on in Melbourne today and this weekend, as well as what’s happening for the whole month.

WHAT’S ON MELBOURNE – CBD/DOCKLANDS

• Shrine Kids (Daily) – The Shrine of Remembrance is the National War Memorial of Victoria and it makes for an educational (and sobering) outing for families. Read the Shrine Kids Review.
• The Lume Melbourne (ongoing) – Experience art, music and culture in an immersive new experience fusing the world’s oldest culture with the most cutting-edge technology.
• Melbourne Museum (ongoing) – The museum was established in 1854, which makes it one of the oldest museums in the Southern Hemisphere. With over two storeys of exhibitions to explore including science, history and art, it’s a definite stop on your to-do list in Melbourne.
• Docklands Community Market (Sundays) – Grab your early morning coffee, enjoy a lovely stroll & support your local producers at this lovely market.
• The Story of the Moving Image (ongoing) – Journey through the past, present and future of the moving image through interactive experiences, digital innovation and captivating stories. Read the Story of the Moving Image ACMI Review.

• Queen Street Plaza (Sundays) – find a rotating line-up of delicious street food, live music and entertainment every Sunday from 9 am.
• Melbourne Book Market (Saturdays & Sundays) – curated collection of more than 5,000 new and pre-loved titles selected and presented by 15 of Melbourne’s most experienced booksellers.
• Soft Play (ongoing) – Play with your child and make community connections in a safe and fun indoor environment.
• Kids Passport Queen Victoria Market (ongoing) Collect your passport, then journey around the Market collecting stamps from our friendly traders, before making your way to the Queen Victoria Market Visitor Hub to claim your prize.
• SEALIFE Melbourne Aquarium (ongoing) – See some of the world’s most incredible animals, including penguins, a 6-metre-long crocodile and thousands of tropical fish, plus the newly reopened oceanarium.

WHAT’S ON MELBOURNE – NORTH / NORTH-EAST

• Northcote Night Market (Thursdays) – Visit the Northcote Night Market for an array of stalls and activities.
• VU Play Coburg pop-up playspaces (Tuesdays – Saturdays) – VU early childhood pre-service teachers create pop-up play spaces for children to play.
• Heide Art Babies (Tuesdays) – 30 minutes of sensory play in the gallery, looking, thinking and talking about art. Read the Heide Art Babies Review.
• Tiny Tour Melbourne Museum (Fridays and various dates) – a 45-minute tour created for early-year audiences that will invite them to wonder, discover and be amazed.
• Abbotsford Farmers Market (Ongoing) – Shop local and seasonal produce and visit the Collingwood Children’s Farm which is just next door.
• Mini Mega Model Museum (ongoing) – an exhibition featuring small and big things at Melbourne Museum. Read the Mini Mega Model Museum review. 

• Rose Street Artists’ Market (Saturdays and Sundays) – Shop directly from Melbourne’s best artists, designers, crafters and makers at Fitzroy’s iconic Rose Street Market.
• Diamond Valley Railway (Sundays) – miniature railway with a playground next door. Read the Diamond Valley Railway Review.
• Fitzroy Market (Sundays) – a one-stop hub for everything produce, food, artisan, handcrafted, vintage, second hand and local.
• Heide Gallery Kids  (Fridays during school term) – Join Art Therapist Tanis Douglas, who supports pre-school children and their carers to gain confidence observing artworks in a small group.
• Keeper Kids Melbourne Zoo (ongoing) – Educator-led daily activities that promote learning through storytelling, craft and play.
• Sensory Tray Sessions (ongoing) – Sensory Tray Session (Various dates) – Pour, scoop, splash and more at our sensory tray sessions!
• Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery (Ongoing) – A world-class immersive learning and play experience – and a wonderland for little learners! The exhibition combines hands-on exploration and discovery, open-ended play-based learning, extraordinary immersive environments and unique museum collection objects.
• Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs (ongoing) – An immersive voyage into a lost world, where visitors will explore the landscapes of the Cretaceous and get to know the creatures that thrived there.
• Dinosaur Walk (ongoing) – Check out the real dinosaur bones at Melbourne Museum’s permanent exhibition featuring ten dinosaur skeletons, three pterosaurs, and other select megafauna artefacts such as huge teeth
• Mini Twitchers Heide (Ongoing) – Be a twitcher for a day and spot some beautiful birds in the Heide Sculpture park! Use a map to locate each area where the twelve painted birds are hidden in trees in the sculpture park.

WHAT’S ON MELBOURNE – SOUTH / SOUTH-EAST / BAYSIDE

• The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden (Ongoing) – A dedicated, fully fenced space for families featuring plants, water, structures, and pathways that reflect Melbourne’s changing seasons.
• The Explorer – Melbourne Gardens (Ongoing) – Discover the beauty of this inner-city oasis and enjoy live commentary in the comfort of an open-air minibus.
• Little Play Squad Legoland (Ongoing) – An interactive parent-child Play & Learn session based on LEGO® DUPLO®. Read the DUPLO Farm Adventure Review.
• Aboriginal Heritage Walk (Until Sun 31 Dec) – Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with a First Peoples guide, delving into the cultural significance of this site for the local Kulin Nation. Gain profound insights into the history, customs, and enduring bond with Country of Australia’s First Peoples through the identification of native plants and their traditional uses within the Gardens.

• Bentleigh Sunday Market (Sundays) – plants, clothing, cosmetics, jewellery, books, videos, tools, antiques, crafts, pre-loved goods and more! Every Sunday. 
• Young At Art (Tuesdays) – With the guidance of an experienced early childhood educator, participants work on a different hands-on creative activity every week, using materials from the take-home art materials box supplied each session.
• Gasworks Farmers’ Market (Third Saturday of every month until Sat 21 Dec) – On Saturdays soak up the vibrant atmosphere and sample the very best of local Victorian produce directly from Victorian farmers and specialty makers.
• Gumbuya World Wildlife Wanderers (Every Wed) – join in every Wednesday for a day full of fun for your little ones with a 30-minute program, which will include storytime, games and nature play-based activities.
• ECOSS Valley Market (Every Friday) – Experience the vibrant Valley Markets, connecting local growers, artisans, and musicians in the heart of the Yarra Valley.

• Mornington Railway (Sundays) – Climb aboard the Mornington Railway steam train for a fun-filled outing.
• Stories and Songs in the Square (Ongoing) – Nurture your child’s early literacy skills by joining in to read aloud stories and sing action songs and rhymes.
• Nature Play (Ongoing) – Come along to Alex Wilkie Nature Reserve for Nature Play, an outdoor, child-led playgroup session facilitated by a qualified ranger.
• WIIILD Wednesdays, Gumbuya World (Ongoing) – Dive into Wildlife Wanderers, the trail of free-roaming wildlife, savor two interactive shows, and hop on junior rides! Get up close with exotic animals, connect with nature, and enjoy exciting entertainment every week!
• Little Lunies at Luna Park (Ongoing) – Discover a fantastic world of rides, attractions, and games to suit Little and Big Lunies! There’s something for everyone from old favorites like The Great Scenic Railway, Ghost Train, & Carousel to the big thrill rides like the Power Surge, Sky Rider, Twin Dragon, and more!
• St Kilda Breakwater (Ongoing) – Spot the Little Penguin colony just before dusk coming ashore from the promenade.
• Spirits of the Sky (Ongoing) – See the natural behaviours of a variety of native birds at Healesville Sanctuary which may include the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Black-breasted Buzzard, Barking Owl, magnificent parrots and more.

WHAT’S ON MELBOURNE – EAST

• Afternoons of Awesome at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre – Young builders can blast out of the classroom into a world of creativity, hop on electrifying rides, and set off on epic afternoon LEGO adventure!
• Eastland (Ongoing) – Sign up to the free mini & me kids club at Eastland (for kids 4 and under) and receive exclusive offers, invites to free events and $5 valet parking!
• Cherry Picking Cherryhill Orchards (Mon 27 Nov – early Jan 2024) – Pick your own cherries and enjoy cherry treats. Read the full review. 

• Boroondara Farmers Market (1st, 3rd and 5th Saturday of each month) – Buy fresh food from around Victoria and meet the people who produce it.
• Heide Art Babies (Tuesdays) – 30 minutes of sensory play in the gallery, looking, thinking and talking about art. Read the Heide Art Babies Review.
• Mini Explorers (Every Sunday) – Unlock the wonders of the world with Mini Explorers, a program built to help children develop through place-based learning and nature-based crafts
• Nature Play (Tuesdays during school terms from 3 Sep – 10 Dec) – Outdoor, child-led playgroup session facilitated by a qualified ranger at Alex Wilkie Nature Reserve.

• Yarra Valley Railway (Every Sunday) – take a trip on the historic Walker RM22 Railmotor from Healesville to Tunnel Hill. Read the Yarra Valley Review.

WHAT’S ON MELBOURNE – WEST

• Altona Miniature Railway (3rd Sunday of the month) – between 10 am and 3 pm ride this wonderful Miniature Railway. Read the Altona Miniature Railway review.
• Mini Makers (Wednesdays) – Back for Term 4, Mini Makers provides masterclasses for kids ages 2 – 5, where they can explore science, craft, cooking, music, movement and more!
• Grazeland (Fridays – Sundays) – huge dining precinct with city views and 50 stalls to choose from. Read the Grazeland Review
• Air Playground (Until Mon 27 Jan) – Air Playground is launching at Scienceworks. Levitate objects, engineer paper planes, & learn the physics of airflow.

• Yarraville Village Farmers Market (3rd Saturday of Each Month) – enjoy a wonderful, relaxed community environment and sample the freshest products direct from the farmers and producers as you shop in the open.
• Bulla Railway (3rd Sunday of each month) – Ride the dinosaur trail on the miniature railway. Read the Bulla Railway Review.
• Essendon Traffic School (Saturdays) – Essendon Traffic School is a mini road set up for kids aged two to ten years, complete with road signs, railway bells and traffic lights. Read the Essendon Traffic School review.
• Toddler and Kids Art Classes (Various dates) – ‘The Fun In Art’ provides art classes for toddlers and kids where they’re more about the fun of creation and less about the outcome of the artwork.

• Sunday Funday Station Hotel (Sundays) – Every Sunday The Station Hotel prepares an animal farm and other entertaining activities to keep the little ones busy while you sit back and relax. Read the Station Hotel Review
• Incy Wincy Babies (Fridays) – Barking Spider Creative artist guides carers with their babies through a visual art experience at the Gallery.
• Enterprize Sail Williamstown (usually sails the third Sunday of every month) – go for a one-hour sail on the tall ship Enterprize in Williamstown
• Werribee Open Range Zoo (Ongoing) – Stroll through the Zoo spotting lions, hippos, cheetahs, monkeys, gorillas and more, catch the safari bus tour or explore the Ranger Kids indoor play space and Village Kids outdoor playground.
• Melbourne Planetarium (Ongoing) – Sit back and enjoy the wonder of the stars regardless of the time of day – or the weather!
• Ground Up: Building Big Ideas, Together (Ongoing) – An exhibition for babies to five-year-olds where curiosity is rewarded around each bend with surprising and intriguing sights, sounds and touch sensations.
• Bounce Play Dates Essendon Fields (Ongoing) – It’s not just jumping and rock climbing for kids, enjoy a minibouncer zone exclusive for toddlers (for kids <110 cm in height).
• Clocktower Centre Children’s Space (Ongoing) – Parents and carers can sit back and relax with a coffee and a snack from the Clocktower Café while the kids explore the space, watch the trams go by or listen to their favourite book with the interactive Storytime Pod.

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