🎟️ What’s On this Weekend - Sign Up to Win! 🎁
What to Do with Kids in Melbourne This Weekend
Looking for fun things to do with the kids in Melbourne this weekend? We've got you covered with the best free family-friendly events and activities happening across the city. From outdoor adventures to hands-on workshops and local festivals — there’s something for every age and interest!
🌈 What's on this Weekend: 12 - 13 July
🕵️ Crime Busters
Junior detectives, get ready! 🕵️♀️🕵️♂️
These school holidays, solve mysteries at Old Melbourne Gaol:
🗝️ Examine clues
🗝️ Crack puzzles
🗝️ Unravel Ned Kelly’s and Ann Davis’s secrets
Explore at your own pace in this fun, self-guided adventure! 🏰
🗓 Winter School Holidays
🕓 10am to 5pm
📍 Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne
🦢 Musical Storytime: Bila’s Big Dance 🎵
🌧️ The Wheeler Centre and Orchestra Victoria bring Bila the Spoonbill to life with live music, storytelling, and a heartwarming tale of community and courage. Will Bila's big rain dance save the day? 🎻 Relaxed, interactive shows where kids help tell the story through music – perfect for ages 5–8 (but everyone’s welcome!)
🗓 10 – 12 July 🕓 10am, 11:30am & 1:30pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne
🐇 FRITZ
The Magician’s Rabbit On a Mission! Madame Magica has vanished… and her rabbit FRITZ is taking over the show!
Expect chaos, magic, and laugh-out-loud mayhem in this 50-minute slapstick adventure full of puppetry and clowning fun. Created by Emilie Bloom, directed by award-winning Clare Bartholomew. 🎩 All ages welcome!
🗓 Friday 11 July 🕓 11AM & 3PM
📍 Glen Eira Town Hall, Caulfield
🎟️ Tickets $15 | Kids under 2 free
😍 Don’t forget to check out the full Storytelling Festival program to see what else is happening!
🎅 Christmas in July at Williamstown
Join us for a magical winter celebration by the bay — packed with festive fun, live music, twinkling lights, and FREE family activities!
🖌️ Face Painting
📚 Storytime (1.30pm, 3.30pm, 5.30pm, 7.30pm)
🎨 Decoration Making
🗺️ The elf on the shelf trail (with a prize!)
🔥 Hot roasted chestnuts, delicious treats, mulled wine (non-alc + full strength), and all the holiday vibes.
🗓 12th July | 1pm - 8.30pm
📍 Seaworks, Williamstown
🎟️ Adults $10 | Kids under 16 FREE
🐳 Island Whale Festival 2025
🗓️ 11–13 July
📍 Phillip Island
Winter on Phillip Island means one thing — WHALES are back! 🐋💙 Dive into a magical weekend celebrating the majestic humpback and southern right whales that grace our shores.
✨ Family fun alert! Whale watching cruises, kids’ crafts, citizen science, mind-blowing VR experiences, and a chance to meet real marine scientists!
🕰️ Time Travellers Scavenger Hunt
Step back in time at Pentridge Prison these school holidays! ✨
🔒 Follow clues & uncover hidden stories
🔒 Explore a fascinating former prison site
🔒 Fun for the whole family
This self-guided outdoor trail is perfect for curious minds—just bring adult supervision and dress for the weather!
🗓 5 - 20 July
🕓 10am – 4pm
📍 Pentridge Prison Tours, Melbourne
🎪✨ Elmo’s Circus Dream ✨🎪
Get ready, Melbourne! A magical new live show is hitting Caulfield Racecourse these July school holidays! 🎉
Join Elmo in a dreamy circus adventure packed with acrobatics, illusions, stunts, and all your favourite Sesame Street friends – Abby, Cookie Monster, Grover, Bert & Ernie! 🎪
🗓 27 June – 3 August
📍 Caulfield Racecourse
🦖 The ULTIMATE Dinosaur Experience DinoFest! 🦕
Rug up, grab a coffee, and get ready to travel back to the Jurassic! Meet our walking Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Spinosaurus, Pachycephalosaurs, and Ankylosaur, and lots of cute baby dinosaurs on the school holidays! 🦕
🗓 28 June - 20 July
📍 Nortons Park, Wantirna South
🎬 Children's International Film Festival
Get ready for the wildest, sweetest, and most magical kids' films from around the globe! This year’s lineup features a fresh twist on Bambi, fan favourites like the Moomins, Ernest & Celestine, the Elfkins, and Captain Sabertooth.
🗓 7 June – 20 July
📍 Lido, Classic & Cameo Cinemas
🎡 Winter Wonderland Skyline
Skyline Melbourne transforms into a dreamy winter escape! Think hourly snowfalls, daily Elsa meet & greets, free kids crafts, s’mores by the fire, fondue in cosy igloos, wintery treats, rides and more!
🗓 5–20 July
📍 Skyline Melbourne, South Wharf (outside MCEC)
🎁 Win an unforgettable day out for 4 people:
🎡 Ferris Wheel ride; ⛳ 9-hole Mini Golf; 🎠 Tea Cup ride; 🧀 Cheese Fondue + 4 drinks!
🌟 LOST – A Magical World 🌿
This winter, step into the extraordinary with LOST — a spectacular, large-scale art installation that brings the beauty of nature to glowing life.
These breathtaking creations turn Bunjil Place into a dreamlike garden straight out of Wonderland.
🗓 11 – 27 Jul
🕓 10am – 10pm
📍 Bunjil Place, Narre Warren
🎟️ Free Event. No bookings needed.
💣🔥 Melbourne, Can You Beat the Boom?
123Boom! is the real-life arcade game experience that’s taking Melbourne by storm! Solve puzzles, dodge lasers, battle flying monsters—and most importantly, stop the bomb before time runs out! ⏳
👥 Perfect for groups of 4-8 💥 6 immersive challenges that test your speed, skill & teamwork
🎯 Avoid lasers, solve puzzles & dodge flying monsters ♿ Wheelchair accessible
📍 551 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD
📅 Choose your date & time
⏳ Duration: 75 minutes 👀 Age: 12+
🪄 Harry Potter™: The Exhibition
✨ Melbourne, get ready for magic! ✨⚡
Step into the Wizarding World at Harry Potter: The Exhibition! This interactive and immersive experience brings you closer than ever to your favorite characters, props, and locations from the films. 🏰⚡
✨ Conjure your Patronus & test your Quidditch™ skills
🧙♂️ Get up close with authentic costumes & props
🎬 Go behind the scenes & uncover movie magic
🏰 Explore iconic spots like Hagrid’s Hut & The Great Hall
📍 Exhibition & Experience Centre, Melbourne
📅 Open daily 10am – 7pm
👨👩👧👦 All ages welcome! Wheelchair accessible ♿
🔒 Prison Island
Where escaping isn’t the goal… winning is! 💥
Gather your crew and take on 34 epic prison cells filled with wild mental and physical challenges. 🧠💪
🎯 90 minutes of non-stop action
👫 Teams of 2–5 (perfect for families, friends, or co-workers)
🎉 Awesome for birthdays, bucks & hens—bride/groom plays FREE!
📍 The District Docklands
👧 Ages 7+ welcome!
🌈 SENSAS: A Multi-Sensory Experience
🖐️ Test all five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing) in both pitch-black and ultra-colourful workshops
✨ Gather your team to take on exciting challenges and surprising experiences in the Sensory Labs
🤩 Conquer your primary fears and embrace your emotions
🪙 Collect as many sensory charms as possible—each charm means a donation to a local charity supporting people with disabilities
💖 Perfect for groups of all sizes. Age requirement: 7+. Duration: 2 hours. 📍 South Yarra VIC
🎉 Climb N' Play - Maidstone Birthday Party Giveaway 🥳
🎈What's Included?
✅ Private party room + dedicated host
✅ Full access to climbing walls & giant playground
✅ Homemade pizza & unlimited drinks
✅ Free grip socks or climbing shoes for all guests
✅ Party invites & special gift for the birthday child
📍 3/98–108 Hampstead Rd, Maidstone (near Highpoint)
🎟️ Climbnplay.com.au
🚢 Titanic: A Voyage Through Time
🌊 Travel back to 1912 and walk the Grand Staircase, explore the deck, and meet the passengers & crew in this breathtaking VR experience. 🕰️ Step into the past and explore the Titanic in full VR ⚓ Walk through iconic spaces like the lavish dining halls & Grand Staircase 🌊 Dive to the wreck and see Titanic as it rests today 📖 Discover real passenger & crew stories 👨👩👧👦 Perfect for families, history lovers & Titanic fans!
📍 Melbourne
⏳ Duration: 45 minutes
👦 Age: 8+ | Wheelchair accessible ♿
🍹 Alcotraz: The World’s First Prison-Themed Cocktail Bar
Alcotraz is Melbourne’s immersive prison-themed cocktail bar, where you’ll wear an orange jumpsuit, sip secret cocktails, and dodge the Warden 👮♂️⛓️
🍹 4 custom cocktails (or swap for beer/wine)
🎭 New stories, new cocktails, same unforgettable chaos
📍 Melbourne | 18+ only
More Free Kids Events
🎉 Want even more FREE family fun? 🎉
Head to our Instagram!
📲 Check out the Highlights for all the July events 🌟, tap through our Stories for the latest updates ⏩, and don’t miss the Feed for awesome posts and giveaways! 🧒👧🎈
Plus, join us on Facebook to see what events the community is sharing too! 💬👨👩👧👦
👉 Follow us and join the fun!
