What’s on in Melbourne for Spring School Holidays 2022
Once again, the school term is drawing to a close, and that gives families all over Melbourne time to go out exploring and enjoying everything the city has to offer during these September school holidays.
The Spring school holidays are from Saturday 17 September to Sunday 2 October 2022, and there are plenty of things to keep the kids entertained during the school holidays, from free family-friendly events and workshops to outdoor activities and cultural festivals.
To help you plan another fun-tastic school holiday with the kids, here is my round-up of all the best things happening all throughout Melbourne for the 2022 Spring School Holidays.
This post is updated regularly, so make sure you keep checking back in to see what’s on in Melbourne these school holidays.
Note that there's a separate post for family-friendly September events in Melbourne happening from 1 September to Friday 16 September 2022.
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Featured Event #1
The best fun for the school holidays. Sesame Street Circus Spectacular is a world class circus for all ages – for anyone who loves a circus. Motorcycle daredevils, acrobats, aerialists and more will have you on the edge of your seat and Elmo and his Sesame Street friends bring smiles to all faces. On now at Westfield Southland (carpark)
Book tickets to the 2022 Sesame Street Circus Spectacular.
Table of contents
WHAT’S ON – MELBOURNE’S NORTH / NORTH-EAST
- Bricktionary: the ultimate A–Z of LEGO (Opens Sat 3 Sep) – an exhibit built to inspire LEGO® builders’ imaginations and challenge visitors with six new interactive build zones!
- Melbourne Museum (Sat 17 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – enjoy various school holiday workshops and exhibits, including Bricktionary, Tyama, Triceratops Masks, Fascinating Fossils, meet baby Triceratops and more.
- FUSE Block Party (Sat 17 Sep) – Get ready to enjoy live music, flea market, live art, mural making, disco and more.
- Convent Kids: Mobile MESS (Sun 18 Sep) – Experience the magic of electronic sound creation in this fun hands-on workshop presented by Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio.
- MUSICAL JAM – La Mama Theatre (Mon 19 Sep – Mon 10 Oct) – an inclusive, interactive, relaxed, and social music class that you can enjoy with your babies, preschoolers, and young kids under 6.
- Farmer for a Day! (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – If you're looking for an all-day program that gets kids aged 8-14 years outdoors, active and hands-on, you're going to want to check this out
- Little Riders Club School Holiday Activities (Tue 20 Sep, Thu 22 Sep & Tue 27 Sep) – 3 main pony rides that run during the September school holidays.
- Preston Market School Holiday Program (Wed 21 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – Preston Market has got you covered with this free School Holiday Program. Enjoy kids' activities such as an animal farm, a garden-making workshop and spring-themed crafts.
- 3MBS Classically Kids (Wed 21 Sep) – Join Melbourne’s most celebrated ensembles as they bring to life the extraordinary musical masterpieces of the great classical composers for children aged 5-11 and their grown-ups.
- Tracey Lister: Kids' Fish Finger Making Class (Fri 23 Sep) – Let your kids to learn some basic cooking skills in a safe and supervised environment as they make their own fish fingers with tartare and salad.
- Tracey Lister: Kids' Ice Cream Making Class (Fri 30 Sep) – In this special 2-hour frozen dessert class, your child will learn how to prepare chocolate a caramel ice cream sandwich, berry ripple semifreddo and passionfruit sorbet.
- Tracey Lister: Kids' Vietnamese Cooking Class (Sun 2 Oct) – In this class, your kids will to roll up their sleeves and explore their culinary creativity by making tofu, pineapple and herb spring rolls and green papaya salad
- Interspecies and Other Others (Until Sun 2 Oct) – See the gardens and architecture of national heritage-listed Abbotsford Convent be transformed through a dynamic, free program of video and sound art, sculpture, installation and performance.
- Resonate (Until Dec 2022) – a series of unique local and family-friendly live music events happening throughout the Moreland area.
- SWARM (Until Sat 3 Dec) – Through a series of collaborative exhibits and projects, SWARM delves into the science and art behind what it means to be part of a pack.
- Tyama: A multisensory experience of nature (ongoing) – Be transported to Victoria’s nocturnal worlds, immersing you in 360-degree responsive projections, breathtaking effects and exquisite soundscapes. Tyama review
- Story Seekers Melbourne Museum (Mondays and Fridays) – Join in at the Melbourne Gallery to explore stories that bring life to treasures.
- Tiny Tour Melbourne Museum (Mondays and Fridays) – a 45-minute tour created for early year audiences that will invite them to wonder, discover and be amazed.
- Bite-Sized Science Melbourne Museum (First Saturday of the Month) – Discover our natural world and uncover the secret life of the creatures around us and their ecosystems in these monthly Bite-Sized Science sessions.
- Fitzroy Market (Saturdays) – a one-stop hub for everything produce, food, artisan, handcrafted, vintage, second hand and local.
- Abbotsford Farmers Market (Saturday) – Shop local and seasonal produce and visit the Collingwood Children’s Farm which is just next door.
- VU Play Coburg pop-up playspaces (Tuesdays – Saturdays) – VU early childhood pre-service teachers create pop-up play spaces for children to play.
- Rose Street Artists' Market (Saturdays and Sundays) – Shop directly from Melbourne’s best artists, designers, crafters and makers at Fitzroy’s iconic Rose Street Market.
- Diamond Valley Railway (Sundays) – miniature railway with a playground next door. Diamond Valley Railway Review.
- Mini Mega Model Museum (ongoing) – an exhibition featuring small and big things at Melbourne Museum. Mini Mega Model Museum review.
WHAT’S ON – MELBOURNE’S SOUTH / SOUTH-EAST / BAYSIDE
- Sesame Street Circus Spectacular (Until Sun 9 Oct) – A 90-minute Circus Spectacular, featuring everyone's favourite Sesame Street Characters at Westfield Southland.
- Archibald Prize (Sat 3 Sep – Sun 16 Oct) – The Archibald Prize represents Australia’s oldest and most prestigious art award and will be shown exclusively in Victoria at Bunjil Place.
- Climate Notes (Sat 3 Sep – Sun 18 Sep) – an emotive, interactive exhibition and performance work that explores and communicates how we feel about climate change through music, letter writing and moving image.
- Mayor’s Family Picnic (Sat 17 Sep) – Enjoy a range of free kids activities, musical performances, market stalls, activities and more while exploring all that Frankston City has to offer.
- Doveton Show (Sun 18 Sep) – Have great family fun with animals, shows, rides and more while supporting local businesses, community groups, performing arts, sporting clubs and arts & crafts.
- Fiestas Patrias (Sun 18 Sep) – See the Dandenong Market come alive with warm and welcoming people who know how to party, as they bring a little taste of vibrant and colourful Latin American cultures to the Market for all to see.
- Kids Sports Day (Wed 21 Sep) – Join in the fun dressed in your team's colours, or as your favourite sports person at our annual Kids Sports Day.
- The Alphabet of Awesome Science (Wed 21 Sep) – Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge for a thrilling voyage through the alphabet – where great big chewy sesquipedalian words inspire mind-blowing scientific surprises.
- The Resilience Project with Martin Heppell (Thu 22 Sep) – Through music, storytelling and plenty of laughs, children aged 5–10 and their parents will get to learn ‘3 Happy Tricks’ that will help improve their wellbeing.
- The Box Show (Fri 23 Sep) – See ordinary household items be transformed into extraordinary musical instruments and unwanted junk come alive in this exciting show!
- Book Kids Candle Making Workshops (Tue 27 Sep – Thu 29 Sep) – during this 1 hour workshop, kids from the ages of 5 – 15 will get to create their own unique 33-hour vegan soy candle.
- Gardens of the Galapagos (Thu 29 Sep – Sat 1 Oct) – a live outdoor theatre experience where you'll get to explore the animal life and flora of this unique environment, then stay on to meet the puppets after the show.
- Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies (Sat 1 Oct) – Calling all children who love magic, fairies, dance and song! This Spring, Tinkerbell and her friends will take you on a magical adventure with a family-friendly stage show.
- Seeing the Invisible (Until Fri 30 Sep) – contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology, is presented in six countries simultaneously with Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Cranbourne as the exclusive Australian locations. Seeing The Invisible Review.
- Mornington Railway (Sundays) – Climb aboard the Mornington Railway steam train for a fun-filled outing.
- Little Play Squad Legoland (Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) – An interactive parent-child Play & Learn session based on LEGO® DUPLO®. DUPLO Farm Adventure Review.
- Bentleigh Sunday Market (Sundays) – plants, clothing, cosmetics, jewellery, books, videos, tools, antiques, crafts, pre-loved goods, and more! Every Sunday.
- Frankston Community Market (Sundays) – a weekly community market located in the very heart of Frankston, featuring an ever-changing variety of stalls.
- Camberwell Sunday Market (Every Sunday) – second-hand retro, vintage, antique, fashion and collectible goods you just can't find anywhere else
- Gasworks Farmers’ Market (Third Saturday of every month until Sun 18 Dec) – On Saturdays soak up the vibrant atmosphere and sample the very best of local Victorian produce, directly from Victorian farmers and specialty makers.
- Gumbuya World Wildlife Wanderers (Every Wed) – join in every Wednesday for a day full of fun for your little ones with a 30-minute program, which will include storytime, games and Nature Play-based activities.
- Prahran Market Mini Marketeers (Every Tuesday) – Enjoy free, guided activities teaching toddlers the fundamentals of eating well and putting the ‘yum’ in healthy food choices.
- Camelot Traffic School (Weekends and School Holidays) Ride or scoot in this miniature city and get practical experience riding and learning some road rules. Located in Bentleigh East. Check their hours on their website before you go as they are subject to change. Read my review.
- Young at Art Mornington Peninsula Art Gallery (Tuesdays) – program for 0-5 year olds. Sing, dance, clap and stomp your feet with Matteo! Do an exciting activity with the Education Coordinator afterwards.
- Mt Martha South Beach Market (Fri 23 Sep) – enjoy one of the most stunning market locations in Australia as you shop amongst 60+ makers and food & drink stalls and listen to live music.
- Food Yard Farmers Market (Sun 2 Oct) – Stock up on household groceries, both fresh and packaged, gifts plus ready-to-eat food and drink trucks for breakfast or lunch with plenty of tables
WHAT’S ON – MELBOURNE’S EAST
- Tesselaar Tulip Festival (Sat 10 Sep – Sun 9 Oct) – tulip fields, live entertainment, market stalls and tempting foods. Read my review.
- Forest Hill Chase Free Family Fun (Sat 17 Sep) – Enjoy Face painting, Balloon Twisting, Live Music and more!
- Blossom Festival (Sat 17 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – Celebrate spring at one of the most beautiful displays of cherry blossom in Melbourne! Enjoy Live music, yard games, workshops, food trucks and more! Read my review
- Float, Hover, Swoop: Imaginary Landscapes from a Bird’s-eye View (Sat 17 Sep – Sun 18 Sep) – A watercolour and collage workshop with artist Penelope Aitken specially made for children ages 6–14
- Kids Best Fest (Mon 19 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – Step up to the challenge with a variety of agility tests and games and some fun entertainment for good measure this spring at Eastland.
- Test Your Footy Skills (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 23 Sep) – Try out the ‘Kids Footy Skills Circuit’ on the oval turf at Forest Hill Chase with fun drills, including handball, agility ladders, and obstacle runs.
- Wild City (Mon 19 Sep – Sat 29 Oct) – Discover Wild City, a special community artwork developed by artist Kathy Holowko and the children of Boroondara.
- Kew Junction School Holidays (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – Join up in Kew for their extremely fun and affordable school holiday program with sessions including science, art, cooking and more!
- Hawthorn Science Workshops (Fri 23 Sep) – Join for a day of space science action at Swinburne's Hawthorn Campus. Travel the Solar System in 3D with an AstroTour, and then come back down to Earth with some favourite PrimeSCI hands-on activities.
- Seedling Garden (Mon 26 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – Plant a different herb seedling each day to create your very own home herb garden!
- Fairy School Holiday Camp (mon 26 Sep – Thu 29 Sep) – Participate in a magical treasure hunt by the fairy Inn Keeper, plus tour all rooms including the secret world in wardrobe. Learn fairy secrets at fairy school and come home with your fairy certificate.
- Auburn Kids Sunday Funday (Sundays) – Let the kids roam with the barnyard animals at the FREE petting zoo while you enjoy a Sunday Roast! What could be better!
- Lake Mountain (June – September but dates will vary depending on snow season) – toboggan, cross country skiing and snow play, 2 hours from Melbourne. Read my tips on visiting Lake Mountain with kids
- Mt Baw Baw (June – September but dates will vary depending on snow season) – Melbourne’s closest downhill ski resort is open for the winter season. Read my tips on visiting Mt Baw Baw with kids
- Yarra Valley Railway (Every Sun) – take a trip on the historic Walker RM22 Railmotor from Healesville to Tunnel Hill. Yarra Valley Review.
- Mooroolbark Miniature Railway (Runs 4th Sunday each month) – miniature rail running every 4th Sunday.
WHAT’S ON – MELBOURNE’S WEST
- Jurassic Creatures (Wed 7 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – a realistic animatronics exhibition like no other, will capture the imagination of children and parents alike with over 30 Dinosaurs and spectacular activities that immerse you in a prehistoric time. Jurassic Creatures Review.
- Scienceworks School Holiday Program (Sat 17 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – various events and activities including Virtual Reality experiments, Colour Combo Show, Illuminate exhibition and more
- PJ Masks School Holiday Fun (Sat 17 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – Crawl into the PJ Masks HQ and explore, move swiftly like our heroes and exit down the slide! PJ Masks School Holiday Fun is FREE to explore and open DAILY
- Family Friendly Llama (Sun 18 Sep) – paint, sip, and most importantly, we have a great time as you enjoy this 3-hour paint class taught by a dynamic instructor and create a masterpiece on a blank canvas using the provided art materials.
- Western United FC Family Day (Sun 18 Sep) – Join the champions of the West for a day of free family fun in Werribee! There will be loads of fun for everyone, including face-painting, football activities for kids, food trucks, entertainment and more
- Be Your Best (Mon 19 Sep – Sun 2 Oct) – During the school holidays, little artists and green thumbs can explore their best creative selves at these FREE painting and planting mindfulness workshops.
- Farmer for a Day! (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – If you're looking for an all-day program that gets kids aged 8-14 years outdoors, active and hands-on, you're going to want to check this out
- Escape from Trash Mountain (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 23 Sep) – In this captivating puppet show, see our heroes fight trash bats, navigate treacherous ravines and outwit hideous trash monsters!
- The Wiggles Play World (Mon 19 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – Ready, steady, wiggle in The Wiggles Play World Explore 4 integrated play areas inspired by The Wiggles that will get kids to explore, sing, dance, colour and much more!
- The Australian Ballet Dance JUNIOR Workshops (Mon 19 Sep – Wed 21 Sep) – Specially made for kids from 9 – 12 years, join The Australian Ballet's Education and Outreach team to create a new dance work in 4 days
- The Australian Ballet Dance SENIOR Workshops (Mon 19 Sep – Wed 21 Sep) – In this workshop made for kids between the ages of 13 to 18 years, kids will get to join The Australian Ballet's Education and Outreach team to create a new dance work in 4 days.
- Kids Pottery – Hand Building Creations (Mon 19 Sep, Wed 21 Sep, Mon 26 Sep, & Fri 30 Sep) – Kids can get their hands dirty and enjoy creative skill development within a fun, small group setting in these school holiday pottery workshops.
- Inspiring Minds Studio (Mon 19 Sep – Tue 20 Sep, Thu 22 Sep, Mon 26 Sep – Thu 29 Sep) – Fun school holiday programs for kids from 3 – 8 years old which enable them to imagine, create and be inspired while having a blast!
- Virtual Reality Kids Program (Tue 20 Sep) – Use the magic of VR to blast off into space, pilot your own research vessels around planets and moons, and learn about the solar system.
- Hits for Kids with SLAMS Music Theatre Company (Tue 20 Sep) – come and join the party in this fun 75 minute show will have you dancing, laughing and leaving with a smile.
- Tabcorp Park (Sun 20 Sep) – Get up close to a pony, learn about pony husbandry, tour through our stables, watch the ponies racing and more
- Kids Fun Butterfly (Mon 21 Oct) – Kids 7 and up can fly away with creativity as they create a beautiful butterfly-themed masterpiece!
- SciencePlay Kids Holiday classes (Wed 21 Sep – Fri 23 Sep & Wed 28 Sep – Fri 30 Sep) – explore science in an accessible, tactile, hands-on way.
- The Alphabet of Awesome Science (Thu 22 Sep) – Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge for a thrilling voyage through the alphabet, where great big chewy sesquipedalian words inspire mind-blowing scientific surprises.
- The Story of Pomi & Gobba (Thu 22 Sep) – See this 20-minute contemporary ballet duet, choreographed, composed and designed by First Nations artists, and performed by The Australian Ballet Education and Outreach Team
- Puppet Making Workshop with Trash Puppets (Tue 27 Sep) – Using only clean trash and recyclable tape, after their theatre performance of Escape from Trash Mountain, Trash Puppets will teach children to rethink the way they look at everyday household rubbish, and show them how to create more puppets themselves at home.
- Bunkasaurus (Wed 28 Sep) – A jaunty new adventure from the DIY masters of puppetry and theatrical wizardry – rip open your imagination and meet a cast of slapdash puppets, bizarre characters and riveting illusions!
- Proximity Dance Workshops with 3d Arts (Thu 29 Sep) – These workshops aim to inspire and encourage young dancers, and bring the community together through dance.
- School Holidays Linoprinting Workshop (Fri 30 Sep) – Develop your art skills this holiday with a printmaking course hosted by Lady Mohawk.
- School Holiday Fun – Dragonfire (Fri 30 Sep) – An art activity for kids aged 7 and up where they will create a colourful and detailed dragon themed masterpiece!
- Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies (Fri 30 Sep) – In an enchanting world of song and dance, the adventurous Tinkerbell meets up with the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will go on a special visit to ‘Bubble Land' in order to find Tinkerbelle's lost wings.
- Flemington Cultural Festival (Sat 1 Oct) – Enjoy all day music and entertainment on the stage in Pin Oak Crescent.
- Yarraville Village Farmers Market (1st & 3rd Saturday of Each Month) – enjoy a wonderful, relaxed community environment, and sample the freshest products direct from the farmers and producers as you shop in the open.
- Bulla Railway (3rd Sunday of each month) – Ride the dinosaur trail on the miniature railway. Bulla Railway Review.
- Altona Miniature Railway (3rd Sunday of the month) – between 10am and 3pm ride this wonderful Miniature Railway. Altona Miniature Railway review.
- Story Time With Amanda Falson (Mondays) – Join in this free event with your little ones every Monday morning for story time with Amanda Falson.
- Grazeland (Fridays – Sundays) – huge dining precinct with city views and 50 stalls to choose from. Read the Grazeland Review
- Essendon Traffic School (Saturdays) – Essendon Traffic School is a mini road set up for kids aged two to ten years, complete with road signs, railway bells and traffic lights. Essendon Traffic School review.
- Sunday Funday Station Hotel (Sundays) – Every Sunday, the Station Hotel prepares an animal farm and other entertaining activities to keep the little ones busy while you sit back and relax. Station Hotel Review
- The Funderdome (daily) – This awesome arcade venue is now open at Highpoint and its the perfect place to enjoy mini golf, arcade games, karaoke and more during the spring school holiday! Read the full review
- Enterprize Sail Williamstown (usually sails the third Sunday of every month) – go for a one-hour sail on tall ship Enterprize in Williamstown
See the Art of Monet & Friends Bloom to Life at THE LUME Melbourne!
Check out what's happening in CBD/Docklands for Spring School Holidays 2022
Learn more about Free Events for Spring School Holiday in Melbourne
