Arts, Entertainment & Sport

Melbourne is Australia's arts, entertainment and sporting capital, with world-renowned galleries, museums, festivals, theatre productions and international sporting events.

Throughout the year, Victoria hosts jazz, comedy, film, food and wine festivals, as well as a variety of theatre and music events.

On this page:
Theatre
Dance
Music and opera
Comedy
Films and cinema
Museums
Galleries
Cultural events
Nightlife
Sport and recreation
Food
Restaurants and dining out

Theatre

Melbourne is home to the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Australian Ballet and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Every night performances take the stage at venues including the Victorian Arts Centre, the Malthouse, Her Majesty's Theatre, and the Princess, Regent and Athenaeum theatres.

Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl, is the largest outdoor amphitheatre in the Southern Hemisphere. Other theatrical venues include La Mama Theatre, which nurtures Australia's new performing artists, Chapel off Chapel, and Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex.

Dance

Dance is a dynamic part of Australia's performing arts culture. Melbourne is home to the internationally acclaimed Australian Ballet, as well as a number of diverse contemporary dance companies. For more information, visit the Australia Dancing website.

Music and opera

Victorian performances by Opera Australia are supported by the State Orchestra of Victoria. There are also regular performances by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Australian Pops Orchestra - or one of the many jazz, blues, pop, rock and alternative bands or artists that regularly perform live in Victoria's pubs, clubs, bars, cafes and nightspots.

Comedy

Melbourne's annual International Comedy Festival attracts the biggest international names in comedy. Local and international comedians also perform live throughout the year - for details, check the arts and entertainment pages of The Age or the Herald Sun newspapers.

Film and cinemas

Local and international blockbusters, classics and art-house films are shown throughout Victoria. Adult ticket prices range from AUD$10 to $15. For more information, read the Arts and Entertainment pages of The Age and the Herald Sun newspapers, or visit these cinema websites:

• The Astor
• Greater Union
• Hoyts
• Nova
• Palace
• Village.

Museums

Melbourne's museums include the Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne Museum, Chinese Museum, Gold Treasury Museum, the Immigration Museum, ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) Banking Museum, Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum, Scienceworks, the Australian Racing Museum and the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Museum.

Galleries

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia's oldest public gallery, is one of Melbourne's favourite cultural venues, with exhibitions featured throughout the year. Another favourite is the new Ian Potter Centre at Melbourne's Federation Square, which houses 20,000 Australian works including the contemporary and innovative Indigenous collection.

Other Victorian galleries include the Heide Museum of Modern Art, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Bunjilaka Gallery and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

Cultural events

Major events in Melbourne include:

• the Australian International Airshow (March)
• the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (March)
• Melbourne Fashion Weeks (March and September)
• the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (April)
• the Melbourne International Film Festival (July and August)
• the Melbourne International Arts Festival (October).

For a full list of cultural events and activities go to the Visit Victoria website.

Nightlife

There are hundreds of nightclubs, bars and pubs across Melbourne and regional centres. Melburnians are particularly fond of the many small bars in and around the city centre.

The city is famous for its live music scene. Many pubs and cafés are open late throughout the week, hosting live bands or DJs.

Popular Melbourne nightspots outside the CBD include:

• Lygon Street in Carlton
• Fitzroy and Acland Streets in St Kilda
• Brunswick Street in Fitzroy
• High Street in Northcote
• Chapel Street in Prahran

All nightclubs, bars and pubs are licensed to serve alcohol. The legal drinking age in Australia is 18 and you must provide photo identification as proof of your age to enter.

For more details and listings of what's on visit www.visitvictoria.com or www.melbourne.citysearch.com.au.

Sport and recreation

Melbourne is known as the sports capital of Australia and Victorians are passionate about sport. Major events, include:

• the Australian Open Tennis (January)
• the Australian Formula One Grand Prix (March)
• Australian Rules Football (March to September)
• the Spring Racing Carnival including the Melbourne Cup (October/November).

Melbourne is also home to the historical Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which hosts international cricket in the summer and Australian Rules football in the winter, as well as a variety of other sports and special events.

The most commonly played sports by Victorians are golf, tennis, Australian Rules football, cricket, basketball and football, but the state's excellent network of local sports clubs and facilities cater for every sport imaginable. Joining a local club is easy and affordable.

Other activities include cycling, walking, surfing, working out at in gymnasiums, practising yoga or tai chi, or swimming. Victoria's communities offer hundreds of sporting and recreational activities in which you and your family can get involved.

For more information about sporting organisations, visit the Sport and Recreation Victoria website.

Food

Melbourne has a large multicultural population and therefore has access to foods from all nations. Most locals do their regular shopping at large supermarkets but there are specialty foreign food stores available.

There are also many large-scale open markets in and around Melbourne, such as the famous Queen Victoria Market, which offers a huge range of fresh produce.

Regional Victoria and Melbourne also have a wide range of farmers' markets selling fresh produce.

Restaurants and dining out

Melbourne is a food-lovers' paradise with thousands of places to choose from in the city centre and throughout the suburbs. Regional centres also have a great selection of restaurants to choose from.

Two popular books listing Victoria's favourite restaurants are the The Age Good Food Guide and The Age Cheap Eats. They are available at most bookstores and newsagencies.