Nocturnal: Action-Reaction | Museum After Dark

First Peoples

6 to 8pm | Bunjilaka, Ground Level | Exhibition
Through the voices and languages of the south-eastern First Peoples community, the First Peoples exhibition celebrates the cultures of First Peoples with its rich traditions of performance, storytelling, artwork, and knowledge sharing, set against the history of survival throughout the ongoing impacts of colonisation.

Stronger Families, Stronger Communities

6 to 8pm | Bunjilaka, Ground Level | Exhibition
Elevating the voices of nine First Nations men wo have taken part in the Dardi Munwurro’s healing and leadership programs, this show explores the themes of strength, healing, resilience and cultural pride of the individuals working to break cycles of trauma and build stronger communities.

Our Wondrous Planet

6 to 9pm | Melbourne Story, Upper Level | Exhibition
Experience our planet's intricate and interconnected ecosystems, from rainforests to coral reefs to polar seas. Large scale projections and hands-on interactives bring these worlds to life. 

Melbourne Story

6 to 9pm | Melbourne Story, Upper Level | Exhibition
Melbourne Story is packed with icons of the city's past and present – tales of heroes and scoundrels, growth and decline, and the changing ways Melburnians live, work and play.

Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs

6 to 9pm | Science & Life Gallery, Ground Level | Exhibition
An immersive voyage into a lost world to explore the landscapes of the Cretaceous and get to know the creatures that thrived there.

Science & Life Gallery

6 to 9pm | Science & Life Gallery, Ground Level | Exhibition
Walk past the skeletons of 17 prehistoric animals through Dinosaur Walk, discover the origin of life in Victoria told through fossils, models, animatronics and animations, and see a world of insects, spiders, snails and other invertebrates in Bugs Alive!

Fire Talk: Working Hard/Coming Together with Cultural Interpreters Tilly Doran and Sol Musk

6:30pm | First Peoples Exhibition, Ground Level | Talk

Hear about the importance of Community, coming together and First Peoples contributions to south-eastern Australia with Museums Victoria's Cultural Interpreters, Tilly Doran and Sol Musk.

Taking a Stand with Michelle Stevenson

7.45pm | Foyer, Ground Level | Talk

Discover some of the museum’s boldest protest artefacts and the stories behind them, with Head of History & Tech, Michelle Stevenson.

After the Burn with Liam Meredith

7.45pm | Foyer, Ground Level | Talk

Explore how native birds and animals are bouncing back from bushfires—and what that tells us about our ecosystems.

Triceratops Tour

7pm & 8.30pm | Foyer, Ground Level | Tour

Embark on an insider's journey through Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs and uncover the secrets behind one of the most complete triceratops fossils ever found. Presented by Sydney Shuherk, Visitor Engagement Team Leader at Museums Victoria.

Free Steps-Grand Canyon by HORSE presented by Melbourne Fringe Festival

Foyer, Ground Level | Pop Up Dance Performance

Part dance, part kinetic installation, this site-responsive work is a duet between a human body and a giant sheet of paper. Shifting, folding and crumpling, flesh and paper press against each other until something new emerges. Motion becomes meaning, and texture becomes storytelling.

Created by acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer Wei-Chia Su and performed by long-time collaborator Pei-Yung Chen, this pop-up performance will happen when you least expect it. Look for it at Fringe Flavours Night Market at Queen Victoria Market, Power Move at Fed Square, and Nocturnal at Melbourne Museum. Wherever it appears, you’ll be glad you were there.

DJ Rosie Rai 

6 to 9.30pm | Foyer, Ground Level | Music 

Naarm (MELB) based Rosie Rai is a trained jazz pianist, self-styled queer disco-pop songwriter and party-starting DJ. When not recording, producing and performing her own music, Rosie is an in demand session keys player and DJ, having performed at a heap of bucket list venues and festivals, including the Sydney Opera House, ABC studios for Triple J's Like A Version, Pitch music festival, Beyond the Valley, and Splendour in the Grass. She was the music co-director of Gender Euphoria: Mighty Real at the Darlinghurst Theatre for World Pride in 2024 and at the Melbourne Arts Centre later that year, and was also a member of the Green Room Award winning show FUTURE JOY CLUB presented by Finucane Smith.

Monash University Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music Performances

6 to 8pm | Melbourne Story, Upper Level | Music 

Join the students of Monash's Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music Performance as they perform unique and bespoke musical pieces acting and reacting to exhibition pieces within Melbourne Story and the Science & Life galleries

Monash University Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music Performances

7:15pm | SciPod, Ground Level | Music 

Join the students of Monash's Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music Performance as they perform unique and bespoke musical pieces acting and reacting to exhibition pieces within Melbourne Story and the Science & Life galleries

Menu

vgn=Vegan   v=Vegetarian   gf=Gluten Free

Hot Food

Chicken katsu burger, tonkatsu sauce, spicy slaw $16.50
Cheeseburger, angus beef patty, bread & butter pickles, seeded bun $16.50
Vada pav sliders, spiced potato fritters, tamarind, coriander chutney (2) vgn $16.50
Nachos, pico de gallo, guacamole, jalapeno, cheese sauce v, gf $16.50

Grab & Go 

Tyrells Crinkly Chips – Sea Salted / Cheddar / Salt & Vinegar $6
Maltesers $7
Popcorn – Sweet & Salty / Butter $8
Choc Tops – Vanilla / Boysenberry / Chocolate $8.50

Drinks 

Signature Cocktail $16
Signature Mocktail $14
Morgan’s Bay Cuvee Sparkling $12
Morgan’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc $11
Morgan’s Bay Shiraz Cabernet $11
Furphy Lager $10
Pipsqueak Apple Cider $10
James Boags - Premium Light $8
Heaps Normal XPA $8
Pepsi / Pepsi Max / Solo / Lemonade / Cool Ridge $5