Calendar of Events

Melbourne is proud of its reputation as Australia's events capital. It hosts international sporting championships, regular national football league games, and equine events. It celebrates the best in design, food and wine, the great outdoors, music and the arts, fashion, and great films at international festivals throughout the year.

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

Where:

Various Venues

When:

tbc 2010

Join the feast that is the annual 16-day Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Since its launch in 1993, it has grown to be the largest food and wine festival in the Southern Hemisphere. It attracts over 300,000 lovers of food and wine to participate in a busy program of over 200 events including alfresco dinners in CBD laneways, lunches held in surprising settings, culinary master classes, star appearances and plenty of opportunities to sample the best of local food and wine. Book to be one of more than 1,000 guests at the Melbourne-held World's Longest Lunch or join a lunching crowd in one of more than 20 locations around Victoria. Indulge your sweet tooth and see Melbourne's best pastry chefs work their magic at the Wicked Sunday day of decadence at Federation Square. Taste the latest vintages and stock your cellar with wine from 60 of the State's boutique vineyards at Cellar Door at Southgate.

www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Australian Football League (AFL) - 2009 Toyota AFL Finals Series

Where:

Across Australia

When:

4-26 September 2009

Every autumn Australian Football League fans don their team colours for the opening bounce of the AFL Premiership Season, which extends to the end of August. Grab yourself a seat and soak up the atmosphere amid the passionate fans and colourful team mascots. Matches are held each weekend at the undercover state-of-the-art Etihad Stadium at Docklands or at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Every year 16 teams and their loyal supporters start the season hopeful for a place in the top eight and a chance to play in the finals series in September. As Australia's most popular sport, the AFL continues to surpass attendance records each year.

www.afl.com.au

Spring Racing Carnival incorporating the Melbourne Cup Carnival

Where:

Metropolitan courses at Flemington, Moonee Valley, Caulfield and Sandown and country race courses all over Victoria

When:

October - November 2009 (Melbourne Cup 3 November 2009)

Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival is a 50-day celebration of the world's best racehorses and jockeys. The Carnival is much more than racing, with entertainment, events, celebrity appearances and fashions on the field at 13 metropolitan and 69 country race meetings. It culminates in the world's most famous two-mile handicap, the Melbourne Cup, popularly known as "the race that stops the nation." Join the thousands of elegantly dressed racegoers and embrace the excitement of the sport and the spectacular fashion.

www.springracingcarnival.com.au

Melbourne International Arts Festival

Where:

Various Venues

When:

9-25 October 2009

Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF) is the city's flagship cultural event. It is one of Australia's premier festivals, celebrating performing and visual arts from around the world. Held over 17 days each October, MIAF hosts exclusive performances by some of the finest national and international artists and companies. Almost half a million people attend over 500 performances, including free and ticketed dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events.

www.melbournefestival.com.au

Boxing Day Test Match

Where:

Melbourne Cricket Ground

When:

26-30 December 2009

The Boxing Day Test cricket match is played each year beginning on 26 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It pitches the Australian cricket team against the opposition national team touring Australia that summer. Having lost to the South African team in 2008, the locals will be keen to prove themselves to a home crowd. For information about tickets to the Boxing Day Test see the Cricket Australia website.

www.cricket.com.au

Australian Open

Where:

Melbourne Park

When:

18-31 January 2010

Every year in January, Melbourne Park comes alive for the Australian Open Tennis Tournament, a festival of on- and off-court entertainment that is enjoyed by the players and fans alike. See the biggest names in international tennis battle it out for a total prize pool of over $20 million. For the tenth consecutive year the Australian Open has attracted more than half a million patrons with an official tournament attendance of 603,160 in 2009. Over 500 of the world's best players vie for the glory of winning at the first Grand Slam event of the year. A total of 46 nations are represented in the main singles draws alone.

2010 will be an exciting tournament as enthusiastic fans watch Rafael Nadal and Serena Wiliams defend their titles. Grab a centre court ticket and take in all the atmosphere of this exciting event. Catch young up-and-coming Australian stars such as Bernard Tomic, who became the youngest player to win a match at the 2009 Open. The Australian Open gets bigger and better every year so don't miss your chance to see the world's best tennis players compete for the honour of a Grand Slam title.

www.australianopen.com

2010 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix

Where:

Albert Park Lake, Melbourne

When:

25-28 March 2010

The fastest men on four wheels come to Melbourne's purpose built 5.3-kilometre track in Albert Park in March to contest the FORMULA 1™ Australian Grand Prix. This four-day carnival of speed, glamour and excitement features the world's best drivers, V8s, great music, food and festivities. Special events include celebrity challenges, performances by leading DJs and musicians, and after the main event a big-name rock legend will take to the stage to wrap up four days of fabulous F1.

www.grandprix.com.au

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Where:

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

When:

24-28 March 2010

Every autumn the largest horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere blooms on the edge of the Melbourne CBD. The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show showcases Australia's best landscape and floral artisans as well as garden retail products, great food and entertainment for all ages. Wander the 10 hectares of displays and see more than 300 exhibits, including a sustainable living garden, floral and design competition entries, and the Great Hall of Flowers.

www.melbourneflowershow.com.au

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Where:

Various Venues

When:

24 March-18 April (tbc)

Melbourne's annual festival of mirth has the whole city laughing out loud at venues around the city each autumn. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival program boasts over 300 events, including stand-up, theatre, music, film and even visual art, more than enough to keep Melbourne chuckling and grinning for weeks. See performances by the international greats of comedy, local favourites, and hopeful newcomers who brave open mic competitions or launch shows of their own. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival.

www.comedyfestival.com.au

State of Design Festival

Where:

Various Venues

When:

15-25 July 2009

The State of Design Festival is Victoria's peak design event. The Festival covers many cross-disciplinary design agendas relating to the profession of design and the marketplace that it provides to.

Through partner organisations and brand alliances, the Festival links Victorian design into the global design conversation, offering an understanding of the Victorian design context, the opportunities and the successes.

Under one Festival umbrella the best local designers are honoured through the biennial Premier's Design Awards to be held again in 2010, whilst others are discovered at our trade fair, Design Made Trade.

www.stateofdesign.com.au