School holidays have already started here in Victoria, and Easter falls nicely within them this year. Term 1 has just flown by, and the Autumn school holidays are a well-earned breather before the hard work of term 2 sets in. Autumn is a fab time of year to enjoy the Autumn colour in Melbourne, as the mild weather is a great opportunity to get out and about.
To help us plan out our 2 weeks, I printed out my School Holiday Activity Planner, to help us get organised and make the most of our holidays.
Emma has helped me round-up some fun school holiday activities, and places to visit in and around Melbourne.
It’s not a comprehensive list of school holiday activities in Melbourne, more like the MY POPPET EDIT! Sounds fun right?
Here’s what we’ll be getting up to in the next couple of weeks – Bring on the school holidays!
Top 10 – Autumn School Holiday Activities in Melbourne
The following events and listings are for the 2019 Victorian School Holidays – Saturday 6 April to Monday 22 April
1. Tesselaar KaBloom, Festival of Flowers
Image credit: Kabloom Festival
Held on Tesselaar’s flower farm in Melbourne’s stunning Dandenong Ranges, KaBloom is a brand new spectacle where circus arts and flowers collide.
Step right up to see the world’s first KaBloom circus spectacular where artists from Melbourne’s own CircaNICA, the circus agency of the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), perform a modern extravaganza every day – think contortionists amongst the marigolds, acrobats in the snapdragons and performing jugglers in the petunias.
Tesselaar Tulip Festival
WHERE: Tesselaar Flower Farm, 357 Monbulk Road, Silvan, Victoria.
WHEN: 6 – 28 April
10am – 5pm daily
HOW MUCH: Kids are free with accompanying adult ($22-$25)
2. Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Image credit: Super Amazing Giant Girl
Not just for adults, the MICF has lots of family friendly performances throughout the school holidays. We are off to see two shows this year –
Arr We There Yet!? A soaring and swashbuckling adventure in which three sailors hit the high seas in search of treasure.
Arr We There Yet
April 6-21, 3.15pm
The Famous Spiegeltent, Arts Centre Melbourne
and
Super Amazing Giant Girl An action packed, fast-paced and interactive theatre show for kids combining thrilling circus, absurd comedy and ingenious physical theatre and stunts at the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Super Amazing Giant Girl
6 – 21 April 2019
MICF Melbourne Town Hall – Lower Town Hall
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Family & Kids show bookings
3. Europa Night Market at the Vic Market
Image credit: Vic Night Market
The Europa Night Market is a new event for Queen Vic Market, transforming the Market into a bustling European-style street party and will run for five weeks until 8 May with lots of delicious food to enjoy.
In celebration of Melbourne’s diverse European roots, the event will gather 20 food and 20 retail stalls celebrating the unique quirks, traditions and cultures from across the Continent. Don’t miss the Polish and Ukrainian egg-dyeing for Easter on the 17th April.
Week 1: Italian Night (10 April)
Week 2: Eastern European (17 April)
Europa Night Market
WHERE: Queen Victoria Market, Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000
WHEN: 10 April – 8 May
Wednesdays 5pm – 10pm (go early to avoid the crowds)
4. Born In A Taxi presents: Gut Feeling
Image credit: Melbourne Museum
An immersive, interactive journey through the human digestive system, from top to bottom where kids learn about their digestive system while crawling though a giant digestive system! Hosted by a couple of musical gut bacteria that will explain how our bodies turn food into our energy, from the inside! Fascinating. Fun. Facts and Farts!
A limited performance partnering with the new gallery exhibition Gut Feelings: Your Mind, Your Microbes (Free with entry)
This show is recommended for children 6 and over (Children are not typically accompanied by an adult).
Gut Feelings
WHERE: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street Carlton
WHEN: 7–9 April and 14–16 April 2019 10.30am, 12.30pm or 2.30pm
HOW MUCH: Child $25, Member Child $20
5. Caribbean Rollerama
This roller rink is one of our favourite places to hang out at the moment. I actually take skating lessons here every week! Just like the roller rinks of your childhood, Caribbean Rollerama has retained it retro charm. Emma has insisted that we go roller skating at least twice these school holidays. With sessions starting at just $7 per person, it’s a real bargain.
If you visit on a Wednesday, pop into the Caribbean Gardens & Market next door. It’s got food trucks, many playgrounds and a narrow gauge railway.
Caribbean Rollerama
WHERE: 1298 Ferntree Gully Road, Scoresby, Victoria, 3179
WHEN: Open 7 Days from 10am – session times vary – see website
HOW MUCH: Sessions from $7, Skate hire $1, Blade Hire $3
6. Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids – FREE
Tiger (5) and Cherry (8) in the exhibition Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids at NGV International from 5 April – 4 August 2019 Photo: Eugene Hyland
Younger kids and families will enjoy Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids a free children’s play space featuring a dedicated activity zone for children to construct Calder inspired animal sculptures and also play a multimedia game where they can design virtual public artworks across Melbourne.
Running concurrently with Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor
Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids
WHERE: NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia
WHEN: 5 April 2019 – 4 August 2019
HOW MUCH: Free
7. Slime Making at City Library – FREE
Image Credit: City Library
Who doesn’t love slime? Come and learn to make a whole range of slimes to take home. For 5+ years.
Or make your own at home with our slime making instructions
WHERE: City Library, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC 3000
WHEN: Mon., 15 April 2019, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
HOW MUCH: FREE – Booking Required
8. Space 2 B – School Holiday Making Workshops
Image Credit: Space 2 Be
Learn how to make your own pottery or become an amateur street artist and watch the laneway walls come to life with vibrant colors. Taught by professional artists from around the world who now call Australia home.
Space2b is an art and design social enterprise. It has been established to support people seeking asylum, refugees and newly arrived migrants to become financially independent.
Space 2 B Kids Workshops
WHERE: Space2b Social Design, 144 Chapel St, St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia
WHEN: Assorted dates – see calendar
HOW MUCH: From $45
9. Kids Day Out, Good Friday Appeal – FREE
Image Credit: Good Friday Appeal
Supported by the City of Melbourne, the annual Kids Day Out is a day of amusements and activities for the whole family, to raise funds for The Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will be transformed in to a kids’ wonderland.
Join in activities and entertainment, including: Ice Skating Wonderland and Ice Slide, Teddy Bear Hospital, Kids Yoga, Fresh Food Fair, Arts and crafts, Carnival rides.
WHERE: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf
HOW MUCH: Free Entry, Selected Activities $3-$10 or gold coin donation
WHEN: Good Friday 19th April 2019, 10am – 5pm
10. Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq $10 Unlimited Play
Image Credit: District Docklands
If the kids have turned the house into a circus, send them to Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq to play the holiday boredom away!
For just $10, they’ll get two tremendous hours of unlimited play — including bowling! Every day these school holidays! Come in before 5pm, no booking necessary.
The District Docklands – School Holiday Events
WHERE: Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, The District Docklands, 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands VIC
WHEN: 06 April 2019 to 22 April 2019 – 10am to 5pm daily
HOW MUCH: $10 per person
I hope we’ve given you some great ideas for School Holiday Activities in Melbourne. If you have any other suggestions share them in a comment below.
So inspired by this.
I reckon the kids will be keen about the slime making.