The White Hat Guide to activities for Families and Children in Melbourne

There is much public art to be seen on the streets at any time of day as well as inside many public buildings. More information on public art in Melbourne. In addition, public bodies such as the City of Melbourne often sponsor temporary artworks and installations in laneways and other public spaces.

• Caroline Springs;- Every 1st Sunday of each month leaving the Civic Centre.
• Melton:- Every 3rd Sunday of each month leaving Hannah Watts Park

Based on an original new story by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.

The critically acclaimed play has won 24 major theatre awards in the UK and is the most-awarded production in the history of Britain’s prestigious Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play and Best Director. The play opened on Broadway in April 2018 to rave reviews and won 6 Tony Awards including Best Play, 6 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 5 Drama Desk Awards and many more.

White Hat can recommend the Port Open Day Tours to anyone interested in the functioning of the Port of Melbourne as well as to those interested in Melbourne's history. In the early days of European settlement, shipping came right into the current CBD near Flinders and William Streets. Over time, ships became larger Victoria Dock was dug out of the swampy land behind Batman's Hill and low bridges blocked access to all but smaller boats. Further major works saw the creation of Swanson Dock and a man-made channel was dug to accommodate the larger shipping and eventually container vessels. The lower Yarra River that was known to Aboriginal people was filled in and is now covered with housing and factories while the man-made channel south of the city is what we think of as the lower Yarra river.

Port Open Day boat tours are fun, family-friendly events and one of the best ways to see Australia’s busiest port, right on the city’s doorstep. Featuring a guided commentary from port staff, you’ll see the port from a whole new angle. Tours depart from Victoria Harbour in Docklands, and include Victoria Dock and Appleton Dock, the port’s more historic facilities, before visiting the container terminals at Swanson Dock.

PLEASE NOTE: While every effort will be made to adhere to advertised tour routes, these may be changed without notice due to vessel traffic considerations on a given tour day.

Forthcoming tours are at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1 pm & 2pm on

• 31st March 2019 (bookings open 6th February 2019)
• 28th April 2019 (bookings open 3rd April 2019)

Once bookings are open for a particular date you can book online here. Bookings cannot be made prior to booking opening date and all bookings must be made in advance. Payment on the day is not possible. We will remind subscribers to the White Hat Melbourne Newsletter when bookings open for each tour.

Fiesta Malaysia is a day of celbration at Federation Square attracting over 20,000 people. It aims to  introduce the rich Malaysian history, people, language and culture to those who attend and to enhance the bilateral and multilateral relationship between Malaysia and Australia.In addition it aims to foster, support and promote business and investment opportunities between Malaysia and Australia To introduce Malaysia as a land of diverse races, religions, festivities and cultural heritage in line with the theme for Fiesta Malaysia 2016, ‘Sharing the Culture'. More information at Fiesta Malaysia.

White Night 2019 will return to the regional city of Ballarat from 7pm on Saturday 21 September until 2am on Sunday 22 September.

Local, interstate and international artists, musicians and performers will weave a spell over the city in a celebration of art, culture and creativity.

Under the artistic direction of David Atkins OAM, White Night Ballarat invites visitors and locals to make their journey around Ballarat’s iconic buildings, cultural institutions and streets, in celebration of reclaiming and reimagining the city through projection, installations, performance and music.

Full details at White Night Ballarat

White Hat often has to remind visitors that Victoria is a state with four seasons - unlike some of those boring northern states - and we recommend that one of the best ways to experience spring in the Victorian countryside is to visit the Bright Spring Festival.

Bright has a natural beauty complemented by fine cafés and restaurants, marvellous local wineries, accommodation to suit all budgets, adventure sports, walking tracks and bike trails and shopping. The festival offers street and river markets, theatre events, art exhibitions, fireworks, plenty of entertainment and open gardens. For a full list off the open gardens see the White Hat Open Gardens page.

For the full itinerary, visit the Bright Spring Festival website at www.brightspringfestival.com.au

Special Attractions at the 158th Annual Spring Show include:

• Cobb & Co Coach Rides
• Food & Wine Pavillion
• Clunes Show Vasa Dog Jump 2pm
• Jamie & Kim’s Mobile Zoo
• Parker’s Mini Circus
• Roving Entertainment – Mad Hatter & Mad Hattie
• Face Painting & Caricature Drawing
• Trike Tours and Joyrides
• Showday Live Music Maryborough Big Band & The Wesley Bands
• Clunes Pet Show
• Scarecrow Competition
• Ferret Racing - Bring your Ferrets to Compete
• Society Memorabilia Display 
• Professor Wallace’s Puppet Show
• Bute Ute Competition
• Vintage Engine Display
• Rural Ambassador & Junior Show Ambassador
• Show Girl & Show Boy Competitions 
• Keg Throwing, Tug Of War & Gum Boot Throw Competitions
• Ladies Woodsplitting Competition
• Grand Parade 3pm
• Show Night Entertainment – Bar, BBQ & Live Band Highway 8
  

Grand Parade - 3 PM

All judging will cease at 2.55 pm for the Grand Parade at 3pm.
All Exhibitors / Exhibits are encouraged to parade
Grand Parade Lucky Ticket Prizes
1st prize $100 - 2nd prize $50

It’s a Saturday evening in summer. You’re sitting in a park with family and friends, and a fabulous picnic dinner. The picture is complete when the glorious live music from Opera Australia begins.

Hear our brightest stars, under the stars, sing opera's most famous arias with the magnificent backing of Orchestra Victoria.

Dress up — or not — it's your night to enjoy the power of the human voice in the kind of communal, cultural celebration Melbourne loves best.

Discover Scandinavia in Melbourne at the annual Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar in the beautiful gardens of the Swedish Church, Toorak. Festive atmosphere with stalls full of gorgeous items from Sweden, Denmark and Norway, especially imported for the Bazaar. Handicrafts, Scandinavian food, entertainment and lots of fun activities for the kids. Full information at Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar.

The Yarraville Festival has been operating since 1981 and has steadily grown into one of Melbourne's liveliest community festival and White Hat feels that the location helps add to the genuine village atmosphere. There is music across 7 stages from local professional and community performers, everyone will find something that they enjoy.. Kids of every age, from toddlers to teenagers, will hear music suitable for their age group, and a range of activities and rides are available for them. From jumping castles to carnival rides to bungee jumping, with many of the rides free.

The Yarraville Festival also features its annual market with plenty of stalls. Selling everything from vintage clothing, food and handmade gifts the market is a great opportunity for visitors to pick up a bargain.

Further details at Yarraville Festival

Our rating - 4 Hats

For White Hat, the Twilight Jazz at Cruden Farm is one of the special events of the year. We strongly recommend you gather the family together and get down to one of the most special gardens in Australia as there is only one chance a year for the general public to experience it at the special time of twilight.

Our rating - 5 Hats

The annual Moomba Fireworks running over three nights.

Melbourne's long running community festival featuring rides, activities and entertainment in Birrarung Marr and the Alexandra Gardens. The Moomba fireworks will occur from 9.30 to 9.45pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights and the best viewing points can be had on the banks of the Yarra in Birrarung Marr or the Alexandra Gardens.

The parade runs northbound on St Kilda Road (on the park side of the road) between Dorcas St and Linlithgow Avenue.

The popular Rosebud Kite Festival has been running for 15 years, and this year will feature international kite specialists as well as the usual stalls, family entertainment, carnival rides and kite making classes. Full details at Rosebud Kite Festival.

White Hat attended and enjoyed this festival over a number of years and watched it grow into the highly popular community event it has now become. Music, free activities and kite flying and food from around the world with plenty of free activities. Bring your own kite or buy one there or simply watch the amazing array of kites flying. This year, the festival has been incorporated into True North - Reservoir Arts Festival - and moved to Edwardes Lake Park.

Join us in tasting an array of produce. All from over 60 of our regions gourmet food and wine producers. Bring a rug and picnic on the lawns of the historic Pirra Homestead. White Hat suggests you bring a picnic rug.

The Moonee Valley Festival comes to an end in great style with a full day of food, art and entertainment in a grand cultural celebration. There will be live music, roving performances and pop-up activities for all ages!

Headline performances for the Illuminate the River event include the X Factor’s Isaiah Firebrace, Melbourne-based five-piece Dinner Suit Boogie, soul powerhouse Kattimoni, internationally renowned circus company Gravity & Other Myths, Trucked Up aerialist performers, and Melbourne-based all girl acoustic trio Harlow & Hart.

There's plenty on offer for kids with ‘Beasties’ interactive show, the True Fairies storytelling, hula workshops and roving entertainers all afternoon. 

The celebration will continue into the evening with the talented Djirri Djirri Dance Group who will use dance as an interpretation of their culture to share stories about creation, family and Country.

Enjoy the sculptural lanterns of Lantasia by illustrator/designer Tyson Savanah, laser lights, projection art and pyrotechnics as the 2019 Moonee Valley Festival in closes in style.

Piers Festival celebrates and reflects on the collective historical and contemporary migration stories at its site, Princes Pier, the significant entry point where almost half of Australia’s post World War II refugees arrived. The Festival brings to life the pivotal role Princes Pier played from 1915 to 1969 in Victoria’s growth and as a gateway to the diversity of cultures that enrich our community. With 12,000 attendees in 2015, Piers Festival has grown to become an annual fixture in Victoria’s cultural calendar and a significant occasion to acknowledge and bring to light our Indigenous and multicultural talent.

Held annually by the Mt Dandenong Preschool on the Kalorama Reserve in the Dandenong Ranges. Market stalls, fair ground rides, fairy floss, hot food and, of course, roasted chestnuts. There will be a diverse range of stalls showcasing locally made handcrafts and produce. Children can enjoy the fun rides and adventure play space. Enjoy coffee, tea and chai as well as artisan beer (including chestnut beer!) and mulled wine.

Celebrate the annual arrival of some of the ocean’s most majestic creatures as our coastal waters play host to humpback and southern right whales and even the occasional killer whales.

The winter school holidays don’t just mark the half-way point of the school year; they also mean that humpback whales, southern right whales and even the occasional pod of killer whales start to arrive in our coastal waters.  The Island Whale Festival celebrates the arrival of these majestic creatures in our waters.

This immersive three day event takes place on Phillip Island, and has something for everyone, with a weekend packed full of free or low cost activities right across the island. Whale spotting will of course be a highlight of this weekend, and visitors will have plenty of opportunities to do this from either land or sea.

Commencing in 2007 the Gertrude Street Projection Festival has grown to become  one of inner Melbourne’s most visible and accessible free large scale arts festival. The festival celebrates projection art and lets us see familiar spaces and buildings in new, inspired ways. It’s a collaborative, volunteer effort of artists and traders, residents and community groups all brought together by The Gertrude Projection Association.

For 10 evenings in July and in over 38 sites, the length of Gertrude Street in Fitzroy is illuminated by the visions of talented projections artists for the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. Buildings, laneways, footpaths and tree trunks light up with site-specific, curated projections. The Festival’s diverse arts program celebrates and connects our diverse community.

White Hat can thoroughly recommend the festival as a showcase of the edgy, arty inner suburbs. more info >>

Our rating - 4 Hats

Melbourne is one of the few cities that can pin-point the time, date and the people who first founded it. The Melbourne Regatta was first held on 30 August 1838, making it the first in Australia. In 2016 the Melbourne Passenger Boating Association will deliver a magnificent waterside spectacle to celebrate the connection between Melbourne and the sea.

Born out of a river settlement, developed through trade and immigration, stabilised by gold and farming, the city owes much to the ships who made that connection. The rivers and the great bay have been bountiful, providing food, leisure, relaxation and a highway to the rest of the world. Discover too, the land before it became Melbourne. Learn about the people and the natural landscape that existed long before, and why this made Melbourne a perfect place to build a village.

See a spectacle of cruising boats, dressed especially for the occasion. Hop aboard free ferry cruises around Victoria Harbour, be part of a Welcome to Country ceremony, and hear Father Bob bless the fleet.

You can also enjoy live entertainment with Normie Rowe, along with reggae, calypso, and blues bands. Plus there'll be walking tours, story-telling, roving entertainers, a mass choir and the Sunday market with many food stalls and local cafes. Everyone is invited to join in the fun and excitement and celebrate Melbourne's maritime and indigenous history.

The festival celebrates Australian heritage, environment and community. To find out more about the significance of Wattle Day in Australia's history go to Another Date for Australia Day. Lots of family activities including steam train rides.

• Coburg Edibles Swap - A free community exchange of home-grown garden produce. Eggs for lemons. Parsley for thyme. Seeds for recipes.

more info >>

Featuring 230 stallholders across homewares, textiles, fashion, furniture, lighting, stationery, lifestyle & kids products. You can also attend creative workshops, pick up showbags at $25 each, or take advantage of the free kids activities. White Hat suggests that you may find a number of items suitable for Christmas gifts that are not your run-of-the-mill department store fare. Adults $2 - children 12 and under free. Details at The Big Design Market.