Unmissable Melbourne events this winter

Showcasing world-first exhibitions, Australian stage exclusives, much-loved annual festivals and a blockbuster program in the sporting arena, Melbourne’s winter calendar of events will keep visitors well entertained.

Exhibitions

Degas: A New VisionIn a world-first, Degas: A New Vision (24 June – 18 September, 2016), premieres at The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. The exhibition showcases the most significant international survey of artist Edgar Degas’ work in decades. Modern life as he experienced it in 19th century Paris provided Degas with plenty of artistic fodder – from scenes of work and industry to ballet and the theatre, racecourses and boudoirs. The exhibition brings together more than 200 works by Degas, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and photography.

ScorseseThe Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) presents the Australian premiereScorsese (26 May – 18 September, 2016), an exhibition celebrating the cinematic legacy of Academy Award-winning Director Martin Scorsese. The exhibition explores the breadth of Scorsese’s work, from his early experimental beginnings through to his award-winning feature films, working methods and key creative collaborations, as well as his personal motivations and passions. Featuring more than 600 objects and a selection of footage from across the Director’s work in film, documentary and television, the exhibition invites fans, cinephiles and culture buffs to explore the world of one of the most influential directors of our time.

200 Years of Australian FashionMore than 120 works from more than 90 designers are presented at 200 Years of Australian Fashion (until 31 July, 2016), staged across four large galleries at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The first major survey of Australian fashion to be undertaken in this country, the exhibition celebrates Australia’s impact on the fashion industry internationally. It showcases the work of contemporary designers such as Dion Lee, Ellery, Romance Was Born and Toni Maticevski alongside key designs from the past 200 years.

Jurassic World: The ExhibitionDinosaurs are brought to life at Melbourne Museum for the world premiere of Jurassic World: The Exhibition (until 9 October, 2016). Based on Universal Pictures’ blockbuster film, this immersive exhibition offers encounters with realistic, life-sized animatronic dinosaurs inspired by the film and created in close collaboration with renowned palaeontologist Jack Horner. Visitors come face-to-face with a life-like Pachyrhinosaurus, a towering Brachiosaurus and the most vicious dinosaur of them all, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The Stage

Singin’ in The RainComing to Melbourne to kick off its Australian tour, the sell-out West End Theatre production of Singin’ in the Rain (7 May – 5 June, 2016) will be sure fire hit as it dances its way into Her Majesty’s Theatre. Packed full of the charm, romance, comedy and Tinseltown glamour, it tells the story of the first Hollywood musical, when the silver screen found its voice, leaving silent movies, and some of its stars, behind. The movie’s iconic choreography is brought to life with the help of 12,000 litres of water that come crashing down on the cast each performance.

The Sound of MusicThe hills of Melbourne – and the Regent Theatre – come alive this winter with The Sound of Music (12 May – 26 June, 2016). Rodgers and Hammerstein’s legendary score is brought to life by Cameron Daddo as Captain von Trapp, Marina Prior as Baroness Schraeder, and Amy Lehpamer in the coveted role of Maria. Inspired by the lives of the actual von Trapp family, it tells the uplifting story of Maria, a fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family’s dramatic escape from the Nazis across the mountains from Austria.

Nederlands Dans Theater In an Australian exclusive, Nederlands Dans Theater, one of the most innovative dance companies in the world, is returning to Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre (22 – 25 June, 2016). Since its inception half a century ago, Nederlands Dans Theater has gone on to define dance and attract admiration around the globe. Led by Paul Lightfoot, this rebellious company has built a rich repertoire of 600 ballets by master choreographers, renowned house choreographers and high-profile guests such as Gabriela Carrizo, Johan Inger, Hofesh Shechter and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar.

We Will Rock YouAnother worldwide hit musical, We Will Rock You (30 August – 5 November, 2016), bursts onto the stage at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre this winter with a score written by Queen and Ben Elton. More than 15 million theatre goers in 17 countries have been thrilled by the production that includes 24 of Queen’s biggest hits, and delivers a show that reflects the scale and spectacle that marked the band’s live performances, and earned their pinnacle position in rock history.

Festivals

Melbourne International Jazz FestivalThe Melbourne International Jazz Festival (3 – 12 June, 2016) celebrates this constantly-evolving style of music at concert halls, art venues, jazz clubs and through the streets of Melbourne. From golden-age icons to genre-bending innovators, the festival’s program appeals to young and old, enthusiasts and the uninitiated with headliners, intimate club gigs, late-night jams, close encounters, workshops, family events, and free concerts.

Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne rolls out the red carpet for one of the oldest film festivals in the world – theMelbourne International Film Festival (28 July – 14 August, 2016). Considered one of the most significant screen events in Australia, this iconic festival showcases international premieres, the best in global and home grown cinema, as well as retrospectives, tributes and discussion programs.

Melbourne Writers’ FestivalMelbourne Writers’ Festival (26 August – 4 September, 2016) is an annual, two-week celebration for those who love to read. Bringing together writers from around the world to discuss literature, explore ideas, and inspire readers, the vibrant program of storytelling, conversation and discussion, intellectual debate, educational programs, live performance, music and art events takes audiences on a literary tour of Australia and to all corners of the globe.

Sport

International Champions CupThe eyes of the sporting world will be locked on Melbourne once more when Europe’s top football clubs take to the MCG for the International Champions Cup (23–29 July, 2016). English Premier League title chance Tottenham Hotspur will join Italian giant Juventus and Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the tournament, which will feature hometown A-League champions Melbourne Victory for the first time.

Qantas Wallabies V EnglandThe Qantas Wallabies will play England in a blockbuster three-Test Rugby Union series in Melbourne (18 June, 2016). History will be made as the two nations meet in a three-Test series, which – in another first – sees Melbourne’s AAMI Park host their first Wallabies Test ever. The home of the Melbourne Rebels will welcome visitors for the second match of series – which will be the first time the 30,000 seat stadium has ever staged a test match.

Caltex Socceroos V GreeceThe Socceroos take on 2004 European Champions, Greece, in a blockbuster soccer international at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium (7 June, 2016). It has been 10 years since the Socceroos took on Greece in Melbourne, with the Socceroos winning 1-0 in front of 95,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The fixture will no doubt spark a frenzy for tickets, with Socceroos fans jockeying with the 380,000 Melburnians of Greek heritage.