Royal Exhibition Building Open Day
Join us this May at the Royal Exhibition Building for a weekend of history and community connection, featuring tours, kids’ activities, performances, talks, exhibitions, food trucks and more!
The Royal Exhibition Building is a Melbourne Icon. Built in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition, it celebrates a time of colonial wealth and prosperity. For the past 140+ years, the Royal Exhibition Building has been at the heart of Melbourne’s history. If walls could talk, this building would tell stories of colonisation and Federation, wartime and pandemics, as well as festivals and fun.
Tickets
Free
Date & Time
Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 May
12pm to 5pm
PROGRAM
All Weekend
Join the Y’s Youth Parliament on the main stage for a live debate on a current Bill
Over nearly 40 years, the Y’s Victorian Youth Parliament has influenced more than 70 pieces of state legislation and Government initiatives. Bills first introduced by young people have gone on to become real laws, including:
- Banning of single use plastic bags
- Mandatory wearing of bicycle helmets and most recently
- Free public transport for under 18-year-olds
And that's just to name a few!
Through the program, young people between the ages of 16 and 25 can share their views on a wide range of issues relevant to their lives and community. They learn how to voice their ideas, draft legislation, lead debates and create real, lasting change.
Youth Parliamentarians work in teams of six to develop original Bills that address state based issues they want to see changed or introduced into Victorian legislation. These Bills are debated and voted on at Parliament House, with all successful Bills being presented to the Minister for Youth – with the potential to become law.
Youth Parliament, delivered by the Y Victoria’s Youth Services, empowers young people to be heard at the highest levels of the Victorian Government and shape their communities around them.
Join Royal Exhibition Tour Guides and hear about what the building has witnessed across Melbourne's History.
Drop in and hear about the highlights from the Royal Exhibition Tour Guides. Hear about the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site's significance, including its role in the 1880 and 1888 international exhibitions and some of the rarely told stories of the many histories of this incredible building.
These drop-in session with a museum expert dive deeper into the history of Federation, Australia’s first Federal Parliament on May 9, 1901. Attended by 12,000 dignitaries and opened by the Duke of Cornwall and York, the event featured 10 days of festivities, including spectacular illuminations, parades, and decorated arches.
Country is our shared home - living, connected, and sustaining us all. People and our natural environment are not separate from one another, but deeply interconnected. Every living thing has a purpose in the balance and sustainability of life and through good stewardship we all get to enjoy a brighter future.
Add a leaf to the tree and share how you can care for Country by writing, colouring, and decorating your own leaf.
Make your own Royal Exhibition Building
Be an architect for a day and create, colour and take home your own Royal Exhibition Building. Learn about the size and scale of the building, the key architectural features and the building we see today.
And learn about other famous buildings in Melbourne!
Climb the stairs or take the lift to the Dome Promenade.
With its origins steeped in history, the Royal Exhibition Building was built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition. As a key attraction of the 1880 and 1888 international exhibitions, the Dome Promenade provided visitors a unique opportunity to wander and overlook the gardens and view the Melbourne skyline. This event provides a rare opportunity to climb to the top of the Dome Promenade and revel in unparalleled city skyline views for free.
Step into the basement exhibition to learn more about the past 140+ years.
The Royal Exhibition Building has been used for many purposes, including a hospital during the 1919 Spanish Flu Pandemic, a training barracks for the RAAF in WWII, Australia’s first aquarium, and as a venue for many local and international shows and festivals.
Discovering the Dome
Facilitated by Children's Learning experts
Pick up a Discovering the Dome Wheel to use on the Dome Promenade or drop in to learn about what you can see from the top of the building. The lands of the Eastern Kulin Nations stretch as far as your eye can see. First Peoples have lived here and cared for this Country for thousands of generations. Today, as you visit the Royal Exhibition Building, you will explore its rich history, design and breathtaking views from the Dome Promenade. This space is a child-led conversation about what we can see from the skyline and how children think Melbourne has changed and will continue to change.
Future Melbourne
We are calling on all young people to cast your vote with the Victorian Youth Parliament team and help define what is most important for Melbourne’s future.
Share what matters most as we shape the next chapter of our community together.
A special exhibition marking 125 years since the opening of Australia’s Federal Parliament on 9 May 1901, honouring this defining moment in the nation’s democratic history.
The Royal Exhibition Building hosted the opening of Australia's first Federal Parliament on May 9, 1901, cementing its role in as a significant place for the nation. As the only venue large enough to host 12,000 guests for this momentous event, it remains a landmark of Australia's civic history. This pop-up exhibition showcases some of the incredible objects from the State Collection from the celebrations in 1901 and commemorates the 125 years since Federation.
Grab a bite to eat and something to drink from a range of food trucks that will be available across the weekend. More food truck information coming soon!
Saturday
Lebanese drummers and flute players are bringing the beat, culture & heart of Lebanon to the Royal Exhibition Building Plaza.
Join us on the Plaza to see the Lion Dance
Presented by the GDPT Dai Bi Quan Am Lion Dance - Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association.
The Lion Dance combines spirituality, community connection, and cultural identity. GDPT Dai Bi Quan Am Lion Dance, is a Melbourne-based non-profit troupe, established within the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association with the purpose of giving back to our community by delivering thrilling and culturally rich lion dance performances for all occasions, bringing joy, luck, and unforgettable moments.
See WALA – a drum and dance performance from Ghana, West Africa –bring the plaza to life during this vibrant high-energy drum and dance performance.
Join to watch the Maypole Dancing with the Red Raven Morris dancers.
The State School Children's Fete with Maypole dancing was held in 1901 as part of the celebrations for the opening of the first Australian Parliament.
Today, the Maypole is still significant with the intertwining ribbons reflecting the interconnectedness of a community and the fabric it creates when we come together.
WALA means “life” in local language and the perfection of the name becomes clear as they explode into their breathtaking celebration of the Ghanaian Spirit.
Kpanlogo is a joyful, high-energy Ghanaian social dance. Often called the dance of youth, designed to be fun, conversational, and energetic, it is a fantastic, rhythmic, and accessible workshop for children and adults alike.
Join the Greek Community of Melbourne dancers and instruments performing traditional folk dances on the Museum Plaza.
Come and watch the Morris Dancers
Presented by Red Raven Morris, a Melbourne-based folk dancing team formed in 2004 that performs traditional English Cotswold and Border Morris dancing, often using sticks and handkerchiefs in this high-energy dance.
Description coming soon!
Join Jess McGeachin, author and illustrator for a drop in workshop to illustrate the iconic Royal Exhibition Building. Jess has a love of story-telling, architecture and drawing and this drop-in session under the dome combines them all and will get you started on illustrating your own icon.
Suitable for families, and adults. Participants are encouraged to bring their own preferred drawing materials; however, a limited selection of supplies will be available on the day for those who need them.
About Jess McGeachin
His debut picture book, Fly, was published in 2019 by Puffin and was shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia and Queensland Literary Awards.
Jess has since published twelve books locally and internationally, with more on the way. His first two non-fiction books, Deep and Kind, were published in 2022.
Deep was recognised as the winner of the 2023 CBCA Eve Pownall Award. Kind and The Tree at Number 43 are the co-winners of the Environment Awards for Children's Literature.
Jess draws quite literally for a day job at Melbourne Museum, where he’s lucky enough to help design exhibitions and occasionally get lost in the basement.
Sunday
Lebanese drummers and flute players are bringing the beat, culture & heart of Lebanon to the Royal Exhibition Building Plaza.
Join us on the Plaza to see the Sapphire Dancers. Glimpse moves and hear music from across the Indian subcontinent
Join in this Bollywood performance with Sapphire Dance & teachers from Indian dance academy, Studio J. See the the extravagance of Bollywood with glamourous costumes and professional artists. Join in this expressive and joyful dance workshop.
Listen to the music of Southern Italy as Tarantella Melbourne, accompanied by Merak Machine on accordion, bring an authentic piazza atmosphere to life through traditional dances and songs.
Step in and experience Tarantella: an expressive dance shaped by rich codes and symbolism, offering space for personal expression while sharing the living traditions of Southern Italy.
Join the Victorian Blacksea Turkish Cultural Association dancers to experience and celebrate the cultural heritage of Türkiye’s Black Sea region.
ACCESSIBILITY
Please view our accessibility page for general information. A sensory map of Melbourne Museum can be found on our Visual Stories page where step-by-step visual and written access guides are available. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
