What’s on in Melbourne in February 2026

February in Melbourne is the last month of summer, with the long, hot days continuing.

The school holidays are over, crowds are thinning – but there are still plenty of events going on around the city. From festivals and live music to art exhibitions and outdoor activities, Melbourne is a hub of culture and entertainment all year round, and February is definitely no exception.

Here’s a curated selection of some of the coolest must-dos happening this month!

Melbourne weather in February

The average temperature in Melbourne in February is between 19°C and 35°C during the day, with overnight temperatures between 11°C and 20°C. Last February was hotter than normal – the hottest day was a sweltering 39.3°C!

There’s usually little rain, although last February we had a higher than average rainfall of 45mm.

Check the forecast online or check out more summer in Melbourne details.

Pack plenty of sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses to protect yourself from the hot sun!

Public holidays in Melbourne in February

Booooo, there are no public holidays in February in Melbourne or Victoria 🙁

Major events and festivals in February

Midsumma Festival

Melbourne’s premier LGBTQI+ festival, ending with a huge, festive Pride Parade.

Chinese Lunar New Year

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon as Chinatown comes alive with traditional lion dances, music and food to celebrate Lunar New Year. It’s an event not to be missed.

Melbourne Fashion Festival

A city-wide celebration of fashion, shopping events, styling and beauty workshops, industry seminars with leading fashion voices, networking events, fashion installations and exhibitions.  

Melbourne Art Fair

A major biennial event, the The Melbourne Art Fair brings together galleries, Indigenous art centres, artists and collectors for four days of buying, selling, and discovering new art.

Theatre, film and music

Open Air at the Suare

A month of free live music and outdoor cinema at Fed Square. Featured performers include Tina Arena, Folk Bitch Trio, The Beatles Dub Club and many more.

The Book of Mormon

This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. 

Anastasia

This dazzling production, by the Tony Award winning team Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Darko Tresnjak, transports you from the twilight years of the Imperial rule to the euphoria of 1920s Paris.

MJ The Musical

Centred around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, MJ the Musical goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of Michael Jackson.

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival

The festival that began in Melbourne’s laneways gets better every year. Local and international acts are on the line-up, including Chappell Roan, Alex G and Lucy Dacus.

St Kilda Festival

Join this free celebration of Australian music, summer and St Kilda.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl free concert series

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra puts on a series of free concerts under the stars. These classical music concerts are popular, so get there early with your picnic blanket. Gates open at 5.30pm with entry on a first-in basis, and the concerts start at 7.30pm.

Pod Save America

Join former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor and Dan Pfeiffer for the Pod Save America – Hopefully Just Visiting tour.

Hear My Eyes – Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The 35-year-old sci-fi action film played on the big screen accompanied by a live score and laser show.

Moonlight Cinema

Catch a flick under the stars in the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens.

Candelight Concert Series with Fever

Fever brings their stunning candlelit concerts to venues across Melbourne. There’s everything from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to tributes to Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin.

Black Light

In this theatre production, in a family home on the outskirts of Darwin, four Larrakia mothers find themselves stuck together, on the precipice of a drastically changing world.  

Maho Magic Bar

Be transported to a neon-lit Tokyo night of mischief and amazement, where Japan’s very best perform exclusive magic shows at your table.

Melbourne Magic Show

Have your mind blown by the magic and illusion of Master Magician Luke Hocking.

Museums, art and talks

Westwood | Kawakubo

The NGV’s summer blockbuster exhibition pairs two global icons of the fashion world for the first time: British designer Vivienne Westwood and Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.

NGV Friday Nights

Music, eating and drinking plus late-night exclusive access to the NGV’s Westwood | Kawakubo exhibition.

Melbourne Conversations

Listen to the experts as they discuss Ethics in the Age of AI at Melbourne Conversations’ first event of 2026.

Women Photographers 1900-1975: A Legacy of Light

This fascinating exhibition celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists working between 1900 and 1975.

DIVA

Celebrate legendary divas such as Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, Dame Nellie Melba, Grace Jones, Cher, Prince, Tina Turner, Elton John, Madonna, Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, P!nk, Bjork and Billie Eilish in this dazzling exhibition.

Nocturnal: Museum After Dark

On the second Thursday of each month, experience Melbourne Museum after hours – and child free. Explore the exhibitions, listen to themed talks and tours, or get involved in interactive activities. There’s also DJs and live music, as well as food and drinks.

Transmutation: Our Origin Stories

Curated by multidisciplinary artist Weniki Hensch, this exhibition explores Papua New Guinean cultural traditions, matriarchal lineage and contemporary art.

Game Worlds

Game Worlds features more than 30 video games from the 1970s to today – and you can play many of them!

Prison Island

Step into Prison Island, an interactive adventure where you and your team take on 34 challenge cells, combining escape rooms with physical and mental challenges.

Planetarium Nights

Head to Scienceworks for an adults-only, after dark experience. February’s events include Phantom of the Universe (a fulldome planetarium show) and Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd’s iconic album set to visuals of the solar system and beyond).

Experience the Dome Promenade

One of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings has opened a hidden part that hasn’t been accessible to the public for 100 years.

Community and outdoor events in Melbourne in February

Ramadan Night Market

Celebrate the community, culture and spirit of togetherness of Ramadan at the Queen Vic Market.

Teddy Bears Picnic

The National Trust has been running the cutest and most joyful Teddy Bears Picnic for three decades – and it’s back again this year at the beautiful Rippon Lea Estate.

Victorian Mosque Open Day

As part of the Islamic Council of Victoria’s annual Victoria Mosque Open Day, the Islamic Museum of Australia is inviting Victorians to step inside, ask questions, and experience the mosque and museum. A great opportunity to learn more about a very welcoming community.

Summer Jam

Returning to Melbourne once again (where it all began), Summer Jam blends elite streetball, music, fashion, food and culture.

Summer Night Market at QVM

Queen Vic Market’s Summer Night Markets are back every Wednesday night, bringing an extravaganza of delicious food, entertainment and locally made goods.

Food and drink events

Valentine’s Day mystery picnic

Grab your loved one for a Mystery Picnic. You’ll receive clues that will lead you to shops around Melbourne to pick up your picnic treats, then enjoy them together in one of Melbourne’s parks.

The Prosecco Festival

Sip Prosecco all day long at this one-day festival that celebrates the bubbly delight.

Community festivals and events

Holi Festival

A kaleidoscope of colours will fill the air – and cover people! – as Holi Festival celebrate unity in diversity and bring communities together.

Antipodes Lonsdale Street Greek Festival

Join in on Melbourne’s biggest Greek street party, with music, activities and of course plenty of feasting.

Nongkrong – Pasar Senja

Fed Square will transform into a pasar senja (twilight fair), where live Indonesian music, dance, food and handmade goods come together as the sun sets over the city. 

National Sustainability Festival

The largest and longest-running sustainability-themed event in Australia, the festival aims to inspire and provide solutions to the sustainability and climate challenges we currently face.

What are you most excited to see and do in February in Melbourne?