melbourne - school holidays spots

September School Holidays Edition - Saturday 22nd Sept to Sunday 7th Oct 2018
 

art galleries & libraries

  • NGV Melbourne - MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art - The exhibition provides a unique survey of the Museum’s iconic collection. Consisting of over 200 key works, arranged chronologically into eight thematic sections, the exhibition traces the development of art and design from late-nineteenth-century urban and industrial transformation, through to the digital and global present. Open daily until 7th Oct. $28 per adult, Children 5 to 15 years are $10, $65 per family ticket (2 adults & 3 children) and kids under 5 are free. On until 7th October. Our review here.

  • NGV Melbourne - New York! New York! invites children of all ages (and adults) to explore the sights and sounds of the Big Apple - New York! This modern installation comprises of four activity zones and a digital area where kids can take part in a quiz to test their knowledge and teach them about New York City landmarks. Free. On until 7th October. Our review here.

events

  • Jurassic Creatures - St Kilda Triangle. Roaring and moving dinosaurs, fossil digging, sand art, fossil display, children can become a paleontologist and more for a day. Saturday 15th of September to Sunday 14th of October. Sessions and Ticket prices vary. More info here. Our review here.

  • Melbourne Fringe - The inner artist of littlest Fringe-goers will be given every chance to bloom at this year’s Melbourne Fringe, with a seriously bumper kids program. A great range of shows to attend. More info here.

  • Melbourne Fringe - Voice Lab. Voice your expertise in an immersive, interactive experience as part of Melbourne Fringe. 4 to 12 years. Wednesday 26 September and Thursday 27 September. Free. More info here.

  • Melbourne Fringe - I AM HEAR - An immersive sonic experience by Aviva Endean and Justin Marshall created for small groups of young people aged 7 to 12. Wednesday 26 September and Thursday 27 September. Free. More info here.

  • Melbourne Fringe - M-Ball. Learn to play m-ball with visitors from Planet ZyGort and create evolving soundscapes together as part of Melbourne Fringe. Friday 28 September to Saturday 29 September. Free. More info here.

  • Springfree Trampoline Pop Up - District Docklands. Head to the Springfree Trampoline’s Pop Up Jump Hub these School Holidays at The District Docklands Saturday 22nd to Tuesday 25th Sept and bring your family to hours of active fun. With four large trampolines, face painting, giant connect 4, blue fairy floss, hula hooping and more – The District Docklands precinct will be transformed into a mini playground, designed to entice children in outdoor play. Free. More info here.

  • The Famous Spiegeltent touches down at St. Kilda’s Luna Park these September School Holidays with a spectacular line-up of live family & adult entertainment from 22nd September to 14th October. Nestled in the heart of Melbourne’s iconic amusement park, The Famous Spiegeltent will deliver magic, music, thrills and spills to audiences of all ages inside its vintage opulent setting. Lots of different Concerts, Comedy, Cabaret and Carnival Dreams and kid friendly shows on at various dates & times. More info here.

gardens

  • Royal Botanic Gardens - Fire Garden. Stonehenge. The Kremlin. A bridge in Vietnam and a former prison in Morocco. For more than 20 years, French artists Compagnie Carabosse have been putting them all to the torch. Now, these luminary alchemists will transform Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria’s Melbourne Gardens into a dreamspace of mystery and revelation. Wed 10th to Saturday 13th of October. $25 per person. More info here.

  • Tesselaar - Tesselaar Tulip Festival is back and with tulips popping out and ready to bloom for the festival already, it's promising to be a beautiful sight! Enjoy a wonderland of 900,000 tulips in bloom where children can run through acres of gardens and take part in an action packed program full of live entertainment and activities galore that are sure to keep everyone happy. And the best bit - kids are free! More info here. Our review of the 2016 Tulip Festival here.

museums

  • Melbourne Museum - Real Madrid World of Football Experience - Enjoy impressive audio-visual displays, physical interactive football experiences, playable gaming technologies combined with historical club memorabilia and stunning trophies. Visitors can go behind the scenes to discover the culture passion, players and epic victories that make Real Madrid C.F. the football Club of the Century. Kids can test their power, speed and accuracy against the Real Madrid C.F team and battle it out in the Fuzbol Battle Zone with a gigantic 16-person Fuzbol Table. On until 30th Sep. Our review here.

  • Melbourne Museum - Celebrate Going Wild at the Melbourne Museum by creating your own animals focusing on special species. Learn more about the spectacular creatures in the museum’s collections and what we can do to conserve these animals in the wild. Suitable for ages 5 to 11 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Daily drop-in 11am to 3pm. Meet the Museum Experts on Tues 2 & Wed 3 October, Help build a mini indoor wind farm while you learn about renewable energy in the Windwheels daily drop-in activity and take part in the world record attempt. More info here.

  • Scienceworks - Enjoy a free 20 minute show and go on a journey through the past and future of aeronautics to learn about the forces of flight. Take a tour through the Pumping station or the Collection store, attend Planetarium and Lightening Room Shows and checkout the Beyond Perception exhibition amongst other exhibitions at Scienceworks these holidays. More info here. While you’re there, checkout the Above & Beyond exhibition all about space! Our review here. And of course pop into Ground Up permanent exhibition. Our review here.

  • Immigration Museum - Relax at the Immigration Museum’s Turkish yuva these school holidays. In Turkey the word yuva means home or nest and is used to describe a cosy place where families come together. Join us these school holidays as we explore Turkish pastimes and cultural traditions in our very Turkish inspired yuva. More info here.

performing arts

  • Giggle and Hoot's Hootastic Concert - The new show sets off on an exciting pirate adventure to find Mini Hoot and along the way encounters the self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Magician” Jimmy Giggle-ini. All tickets $32.50. More info here.

  • Justine Clarke - The homegrown queen of children’s entertainment, JUSTINE CLARKE, is getting ready to perform a show with her fans this coming September - October on the Silly Songs Tour! How do you make a Silly Song? Sunday 23rd Sep. All ages. More info here.

  • PJ Masks Live - The NEW live musical show PJ Masks Live! is based on eOne’s top-rated animated TV series PJ Masks which airs daily on Disney, Junior and ABC Kids. There is no doubt PJ Masks is a phenomenon amongst Aussie kids, launching as the Number 1 show on Disney Jr in Australia in 2016, and the top TV show for pre-schoolers on ABC in 2017. Sat 13 & Sun 14 Oct. 27 shows around Australia. More info here.

programs

  • ArtPlay - Various sessions. There's plenty to do ArtPlay these holidays. Find a workshop, event or exhibition that suits your age group, time and date. Prices vary. Ages vary. More info here.

  • ACMI - School Holiday Program - Get your kids coding, make movies, build Minecraft, make a video game, make stop motion videos, watch family movies and more at the ACMI school holiday program. Ages and prices vary. More info here.

  • ACMI - Wonderland - Fall down the rabbit hole as Wonderland explores the story of Alice in Wonderland through its many screen appearances over the years. The exhibition uses illustrations, costumes, props, posters, movie footage and projections to bring to life the story. Wonderland is the perfect destination for School Holidays with plenty to explore and making stations to keep the children delighted and occupied. Don't miss your chance to solve the riddle of the lost map, animate yourself into Alice's story and drink tea at the Mad Hatter's table. Wonderland must close on the 7th October. Full $25 Concession $21 Member $20 Child (age 4 to 15) $16 Family $65. Ages 5+. Our review here.

  • Chadstone - Puppets -  Be entertained at Chadstone these school holidays with free puppet making workshops & shadow puppet performances, daily. Plus more school holiday activities across Chadstone. More info here.

  • District Docklands - Obstacle Course Challenge. Are you a mini Ninja Kid? The District Docklands obstacle course will feature a new challenge at every step for you to race and conquer! Scale the bouldering wall, swing through the monkey bars, stay standing through the balancing challenge, crawl, jump and navigate several hurdles while having a tonne of fun! Wed 26th Sep to Sun 7 October. More info here.

  • Eastland - School of Wizardry - Add a little magic to these school holidays at The School of Wizardry at Eastland. Kids can enjoy daily illusionist-inspired magic shows that will not only entertain but inspire your mini magicians. Young wizards are invited to attend enchanting classes where they will perform magic, brew potions, and design their very own wand. See more details on each class below. Plus more school holiday activities across Eastland. More info here.

  • Melbourne Gaol - Escape the Gaol these school holidays from Saturday 22nd Sep to Sunday 7th Oct. Participants will have the opportunity to become ‘inmates’ and must explore the Gaol to discover all the necessary clues to create the perfect ‘escape plan’. Ages 6+. Our review here. More info here.

  • Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - These school holidays, escape the everyday for the green retreats at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne and Cranbourne Gardens, where young ones of all ages can engage in nature-based experiences. We are bursting with a variety of FREE and affordable activities – from drop-in craft workshops, guided tours in remnant bushland, to the night sky and heritage telescopes.

    Activities at Cranbourne Gardens include Paper Planet by Polygot Theatre (free), Holidays in the Kids’ Backyard (free), Manna Discovery Walk $5 pp, Garden Explorer Bus and Snapshots of Australia Daily Tours prices vary. Bookings essential. More info here.

    Activities at Melbourne Gardens include Spring into Nature (free), Starry Southern Skies (prices vary) as well as ClimateWatch Walk, Secret Life of Birds, Aboriginal Heritage Walk, Garden Explorer Bus, Garden Discovery Tour, New Shoots: A Garden of Poems and Punting on the Lake. Prices Vary and times vary. Bookings essential. More info here. Checkout the Ian Potter Children’s Garden while you’re there. Our review here.

  • Science Play Kids - Pop to Highpoint Shopping Centre Mon 24th to Fri 28th Sept for some clever school holiday sessions with SciencePlay Kids. Dr Loz will be exploring animal behaviour, animal skeletons, animal tails and animal patterns in super fun, hands on sessions. 10am-2pm each day - drop in sessions (no bookings) outside JB-HiFi. More info here.

zoos - aquariums - farms - markets

  • Collingwood Children's Farm - Kids can enjoy a day at the farm every day of the holidays and older kids can take part in school holiday programs. More info here. Bookings essentials. Our review here.

  • Healesville Sanctuary New Nature Play Space- Let the kids run wild in our brand new enchanted Casuarina Forest play space. Nature inspired play will include exploring the awesome rock elements, sand pits, sculptures, water pumps and a rustic backyard cubby! Mums, dads and carers can also grab a coffee or try something from the new menu at the Pavilion Café while the kids explore. This new space is wheelchair accessible for participation in sand and water play. Enjoy activities from 11am to 2pm during the holidays. These will include DIY Gunyah making, Gunyah means shelter in Wurundjeri language, face-painting, didgeridoo workshops and bush explorer walks. Our review of the New Nature Play Space here. More info here.

  • Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne - Underwater Quest - Visitors can create exciting new creatures, ships and submarines to explore the seas and be amazed as projected animation brings the water and LEGO models to life. The new experience is made up of over 200,000 LEGO blocks and it took the dedicated team at Legoland over 700 hours to complete the build. Our review here. To see our review of Legoland Discovery Melbourne, head here.

  • Melbourne Zoo - 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs curated by renowned nature picture editor Kathy Moran, is a celebratory look at wildlife with captivating images from some of National Geographic’s most iconic photographers, including Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, Steve Winter, Paul Nicklen, Beverly Joubert and David Doubilet. The pop-up exhibition will be at Carousel Park and be accompanied by an INDE augmented reality (AR) experience titled Air, Land and Sea where viewers get a unique chance to travel to an ever-changing watering hole. 8th of Sep to 30th Nov. Included in general admission and opened during Zoo opening hours. More info here.

  • Melbourne Zoo - In celebration of The National Geographic 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs, Melbourne Zoo are calling all young wildlife photographers! Every day during the Spring school holidays, kids will be able to imagine themselves as a National Geographic photographer by dressing up and creating their own wildlife photo shoot. Located at Melbourne Zoo's indoor play space, Keeper Kids, this hands-on, play-based experience is an all-weather activity. More info here.

  • Werribee Zoo - Hear the Tales of the Zoo. These spring school holidays, join us for an immersive, interactive and unforgettable experience as we share stories about our animals and the places and cultures they come from. Over two weeks hear and participate in stories from Africa and the Australian bush presented through music, storytelling, drama and unique activities. More info here.

For more ideas of what to do with the kids in Melbourne, checkout our Website, our Daily Spots List, CBD Spots or Blog.