Discover Our Wondrous Planet and feel the joy: Summer programs light up Museums Victoria
Dive into a summer of discovery, connection and hands-on fun with exciting workshops, exhibitions and activities for the whole family
Step into a world of wonder at Museums Victoria this summer: meet a menagerie of amazing animals (including the mighty Bong Su), go behind the bricks with Brickman himself, catch jaw-dropping films on the biggest screen in town, and spark curious minds with hands-on fun for all ages.
Melbourne Museums comes alive with the hugely popular Folded Forest keeping little hands busy, and the incredibly special opportunity to sleep among dinosaur fossils.
Scienceworks is lighting up with rocket launches, glowing science shows and play-packed spaces for young engineers and disco-loving kids.
Over at IMAX Melbourne, journey through AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH 3D – the ultimate big-screen adventure of the summer.
At Immigration Museum, a vibrant adventure awaits. Joy brings colour, creativity and storytelling together in an experience that stirs the senses and transforms the way you see the world.
Read on for summer holiday program highlights or see the full program of activities and events here.
Melbourne Museum
Our Wondrous Planet
Daily | 9am–5pm | Cost: Child free / Child Member free / Adult $18 / Adult Member free | Included with museum entry
Discover a world four billion years in the making: in Our Wondrous Planet, you’ll come face to face with animals from around the world. Step into their vibrant ecosystems and experience the incredible connections that unite all life on Earth; play your part in helping to shape a thriving future for our planet.
Folded Forest
2 January – 25 January, daily | 11am–3pm | Cost: Included with museum entry
Celebrating the opening of Melbourne Museum’s newest gallery, Our Wondrous Planet, this hands-on experience invites you to explore the interconnectedness of life on Earth. Fold your animal and add it to one of three towering paper trees – each one a symbol of biodiversity and the invisible threads that connect us all.
Family Sleepovers
8 January and 9 January | Cost: Child $245 / Member Child $225 / Member Adult $245 / Adult $265
Sleep among the dinosaurs in this once in a lifetime prehistoric adventure and explore the Museum after dark with a unique overnight experience.
Immerse yourself in an epic blockbuster up-close on the giant screen at IMAX with all the snacks. Enjoy exclusive access to LEGO® Star Wars: The Exhibition, embark on Dinosaur Walk and Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs torchlight tours, before settling in for some sleep (if you dare) among the fossils. Wake to a delicious breakfast and an early morning Baby Triceratops meet and greet, before heading off to spend the day exploring the Museum.
See our Itinerary below for a full list of all the excitement and goodies included.
Family Museum Sleepover program (8 Jan)
Family Museum Sleepover program (9 Jan)
Millenium Falcon Sessions
16 January & 17 January | 8.30am–11.00am | Cost: Member Child $220, Child $245, Member Adult $275, Adult $295, Concession $275
LEGO® Certified Professional Ryan McNaught discusses the challenges and triumphs of building Star Wars™-inspired LEGO® masterpieces. This package is designed for the ultimate LEGO® Star Wars fan, combining an exclusive walkthrough of LEGO® Star Wars: The Exhibition, a ‘Behind the Brick’ presentation from Brickman himself, and an epic gift bag including limited edition mementos. Explore iconic Star Wars characters, starships and scenes recreated in stunning detail using millions of LEGO® bricks in the largest collection of life-sized LEGO Star Wars models ever created.
IMAX Melbourne
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH 3D
Opening December 18 | Session times vary | Cost: Child $31 / Senior $31 / Concession $36 / Adult $42 / Premium Seating $63
Experience the third instalment in James Cameron’s groundbreaking sci-fi franchise on Australia’s largest screen, in immersive IMAX 3D.
Set years after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water, this new film dives into the heart of Pandora’s most volatile and unforgiving biome: a vast volcanic region where survival depends on more than strength… it demands fire.
Scienceworks
Tinkertown
Until 26 January | Daily | 10am–4.30pm | Cost: Children $10 / Member child $8 / Concession $10 / Adult $25 / Senior $20
Young creatives can explore the engineering design process by building cubby houses and other imaginative structures. Solve challenges, send secret messages and invent wacky contraptions.
Little Kids Day In
1 December | 10am–2pm | Cost: Child Free / Concession Free / Member Free / Adult $15 / Senior $12
Little kids are taking over Scienceworks! Ready, Set, Glow takes little learners through an exploration of colour, light and a little disco just for them. Join us for a day of activities and workshops, then stop in to see one of our amazing Lightning Theatre or Planetarium shows.
Proudly supported by the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life early childhood initiative.
Ready to Launch show
20 December – 26 January | Daily | 12pm & 2pm | Cost: Included with Scienceworks entry
These summer holidays, Scienceworks is blasting off into space! In this free 20-minute show, we’ll fire up a range of rockets and explore what it takes to launch beyond Earth. Head to the amphitheatre to discover the forces that make space travel possible.
The Glow Show
20 December – 26 January | 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm | Cost: Children/Concession $10 / Adult $25 / Senior $20 / Member $8
Take a seat in our Lightning Theatre and be mesmerised by this visually stunning 30-minute live science show.
Immigration Museum
Joy: See it. Share it.
Until 1 February 2026 | Daily | 10.00am–5.00pm | Cost: Children free / Member free / Adult $15 / Senior $12
Joy brings the Immigration Museum to life with an emotive adventure where creativity, colour and storytelling join forces to take you on a transformative journey.
Seven newly commissioned installations by eight leading Victorian-based creatives offer a unique opportunity to experience the power and meaning of joy.
This much-loved exhibition is now staying a little longer – don’t miss it, running until 1 February.
