The ultimate parents’ dream – a summer holiday experience that we can actually enjoy as much as our kids. Luckily, Melbourne’s bristling with such activities in the warmer months. Here are our top picks for all-consuming, energy-busting and inspirational kids’ experiences, which you’ll be entertained by, too.
NGV Kids Summer Festival
The NGV is bringing back its Kids Summer Festival with a jam-packed week of activities, interactive exhibitions, storytelling and more for the whole family this summer holidays. The best part? It won’t cost you a thing. Have some fun with the Cats & Dogs exhibition (entry is ticketed but free on the festival’s launch day) where you can make your own set of animal ears, draw portraits of your furry friend with artists, or listen in on a feline-and-pooched-themed storytime session. You can even upload photos of your own pet and see them framed on the gallery wall. At NGV International, there’s also the free exhibition Kusama for Kids. Grab the little ones and get hands on with art-making workshops, or check out a free outdoor screening of the 2000 comedy Best in Show starring Catherine O’Hara and Jennifer Coolidge at Fed Square –
there’s bound to be plenty of laughs for both kids and parents.
NGV Kids Summer Festival is running January 11–17 between 11am and 4pm daily across the Ian Potter Centre, Fed Square and NGV International.
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SIGN UPTriceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs at Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum’s Dinosaur Walk is a tried and true school holiday favourite, and this year the museum has once again brought out the big guns – the largest and most complete triceratops skeleton in the world is still on display as part of the Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs exhibit. Kids can discover how and where the Triceratops lived and learn about other prehistoric creatures of the time. There are both museum staff-led and self-guided tours where kids will examine fossils and learn about how palaeontologists uncovered the Cretaceous period. Entry is included with tickets to the museum; kids enter for free and adults pay $15.
Urbnsurf
There’s a wave for everyone at this sprawling Tullamarine wave park: learn-to-surf and beginner sessions; cruisers and intermediates; some gnarly coaching events. Refuel between waves at Three Blue Ducks, which overlooks the crystal-clear lagoon. Your kids will be stoked, you’ll be caffeinated – or on the summer cocktails.
Museum Sleepovers
Ever wanted to sleep among the dinosaurs? Calling on all Night at the Museum fans for this special event taking place across just two nights in January. At Museum Sleepovers, you’ll get the chance to explore Melbourne Museum after dark in a rare overnight experience. The itinerary includes snacks on arrival before a 3D screening of Mufasa: The Lion King at IMAX. After the film, embark on a tour of Antopia – an immersive experience where you’ll get an insight into life as part of an ant colony – before getting up close and personal with the Museum’s baby triceratops as part of the Triceratops Torchlight Tour. Supper, a dinosaur bedtime story and a fresh, hot breakfast in the morning are also included, as are camping mattresses. Tickets are $265 for adults and $245 for children ($240 and $220 for Museum Members, respectively).
Museum Sleepovers is running across two nights only, on January 16 and 17.
Australian Shakespeare Company kids’ productions
Pack the snacks and your picnic blanket for interactive, outdoor versions of some classic stories this summer – including Alice in Wonderland at The Capitol (with dates from December 21 to January 19) and Kenneth Grahame’s classic The Wind in the Willows at the Royal Botanic Gardens (with dates from December 20 to January 25). There’ll be plenty of songs and laughs as the Head Chief Rabbit gets the kiddies involved, transforming each of them into rabbits. For young ones in need of a fairy fix, Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land at Rippon Lea Estate is our pick. It’s literally Tinkerbell meets the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Don’t forget to dress up (you too, parents). Tickets start at $25. Children under 12 months are free.
Arts Centre Melbourne’s School Holidays Program
This January, Melbourne’s Arts Centre is putting on an array of fun workshops and activities for kids as part of its School Holidays Program. From January 8 to 18, join President of the Australian Institute of Magic Lee Cohen – who also worked on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – for The Magic Workshop, an enchanting session where kids will leave with a bag of tricks to try out at home. Or if your little one is more of a budding rockstar than a magician, be sure to check out the Instant Rockstar workshop (running from January 8 to 22), inclusive of a tour of the Australian Music Vault, plus a costumed photoshoot and an introduction into creating their own track in the centre’s digital lab. You can also learn how to make music using AI with the Art GPT workshop, or write, direct and perform your own play (and even perform it live on stage at The Channel) with the Enter Stage Left program. Tickets are $25 for admission of one young person and one parent or guardian, or $10 for members of the First Nations community.
Lego Certified Store at Melbourne Central
At 559 square metres, this Lego store is the second largest in the southern hemisphere. But more importantly, it’s filled with immersive and hands-on experiences that go beyond boxes on a shelf. Kids and adults alike will have a ball here. There’s a never-before-seen model of a Melbourne tram, made from 651,489 bricks and standing at five metres long. At a Minifigure station, you can mix and match heads, torsos, legs and accessories to design your own Lego Minifigures.
The Future & Other Fictions at ACMI
At ACMI’s latest exhibition, immerse yourself in more than 180 displays of people, costumes and artworks within mediums like film, video games, contemporary art, interactives and more. Marvel fans can see detailed costumes from the likes of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and sets, props and concept art from games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Blade Runner. This futuristic, captivating exhibit is running all summer long, perfect for film and game enthusiasts of all ages.
Ice-skating at O’Brien Group Arena
If you’re looking to escape the heat, get your skates on and head to O’Brien Arena, which has plenty of fun activities on this summer holidays from the end of December to the end of January. There’s all-day unlimited public skating, free craft activities and lessons, daily giveaways and prizes, and plenty more. You may even be able to catch the pros in action. Make a booking online here.
This article was originally published on December 10, 2021. It has been updated to reflect new events and remove out-of-date details.
Alana Kushnir is the founder of Guest Club, a membership network for art lovers and collectors.
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