Come together: The Royal Exhibition Building opens its doors to mark 125 years of democracy, diversity and national identity with a weekend of commemorative events
Left: Royal Exhibition Building, Photographer: Tom Breakwell, Source: Museums Victoria
Right: Painting 'The Opening, Commonwealth Parliament', by Charles Nuttall, 1901-1902. Source: Museums Victoria
Australians are invited to Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building on 9–10 May 2026 to mark 125 years since the opening of Australia’s Federal Parliament, with two days of free public events, cultural performances and civic commemoration.
The weekend begins on Saturday, 9 May, with formal proceedings to honour the opening of Australia’s Federal Parliament, held at the Royal Exhibition Building on 9 May 1901.
Senior Federal Government and State Government dignitaries and delegates will be joined by invited First Peoples and community members.
A commemorative photograph will be created as part of the proceedings, marking a contemporary counterpoint to the historic visual records captured in 1901 by artist Charles Nuttall. This work will be acquired into the State Collection.
The formal proceedings will be followed by two days of free public events at the Royal Exhibition Building, running from 12pm to 5pm. Additional programming includes building tours, global food offerings, civic talks and family-friendly activities for all ages. A pop-up exhibit of significant items from Museums Victoria's collection relating to the 1901 Federation event will also be on display.
The exhibition will feature Charles Nuttall's four-metre painting The Opening, Commonwealth Parliament (1901–02), last displayed by Museums Victoria in 2001. This monumental canvas captures the scale of the 1901 occasion as light falls across a crowd of dignitaries. Also on display is the State Landau Coach, made by Hooper & Co, London, in 1897 and used in the ceremonial processions of 1901.
Events and programs will take place at the Royal Exhibition Building from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May. Further programming and performance announcements will be made in the coming weeks. For more information, please click here.
Museums Victoria would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Scanlon Foundation and McKinnon in making this event possible.
Quotes attributable to:
Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister
‘125 years ago we chose to face the world together, as Australians. We’ve always done things the Australian way, including being one of the first countries where women had the right to vote in elections and run for parliament.
That reflects our instinct for fairness and our understanding that Australia is stronger when we draw on the talents of all our people.
For all the extraordinary abundance of resources with which Australia is blessed, the greatest is our people. That’s something we should celebrate every day.’
Colin Brooks, Minister for Creative Industries
‘The Royal Exhibition Building has been at the heart of Victoria's civic and cultural life for nearly 150 years, from the birth of our nation to the events that continue to draw Australian and international visitors here today.’
‘That history is worth protecting. The Allan Labor Government's $9.6 million investment will help protect and conserve this UNESCO World Heritage-listed landmark, so it endures as one of Australia's great public gathering places. This weekend is one of those moments — and there will be many more.’
Mary Stuart, President of the Museums Board of Victoria
‘Every great city has a building that carries its story, its ambitions, its contradictions. In Melbourne, that building is the Royal Exhibition Building. 125 years ago, it hosted the birth of a nation that was, at its founding, unfinished.’
‘Today, we return to it with a fuller gathering and a longer view. As custodians, Museums Victoria's responsibility is not only to preserve its walls, but to ensure the stories held within them are heard. The work underway now is not just conservation — it is a commitment to this building for the next 125 years, and to all the Australians who will walk through these doors.’
Justice Nelson, Museums Victoria, Head, First Peoples Experiences
‘1901 marked many things, but not a beginning for First Peoples. Our governance, our lore, our culture and our connection to Country have existed for thousands of generations.
Our presence in this moment is more than symbolic. It is the living expression of an authority that was never ceded, and a sovereign assurance that our future, as our past, will be determined by us.’
