Melbourne events & things to do in December 2026
Start with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, St Kilda Beach and Pier, plus Queen Victoria Market. December in Melbourne averages 24°C / 76°F highs, 13°C / 55°F nights, and about 6 rainy days.
Expect 24°C/76°F days and about 6 rainy ones in December. Start with these:
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria★ 4.8 · 19.3k reviewsThe gardens sit south of the Yarra near the Shrine of Remembrance and Kings Domain.
- St Kilda Beach and Pier★ 4.6 · 4.7k reviewsSt Kilda combines a bay beach, pier, Luna Park, Acland Street cake shops, Fitzroy Street bars, and tram links from the CBD.
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestDec 1Athenaeum Theatre One · Source: Ticketmaster
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By TripSapien Research · Updated June 3, 2026
Melbourne in December 2026
Weather
TempTemperature
76°F / 55°F
24.2°C / 12.5°C
RainPrecipitation
6d
2.4in · 60mm
LightDaylight
14.6h
Sea
68°F
20°C
December is early summer, good for bay beaches, night markets, and Great Ocean Road starts before holiday traffic.
Events & festivals
Event calendar- Dec 1 – Dec 25
Melbourne Christmas Festival 2026
A city-wide celebration with Christmas markets, light displays, carol singing, and family-friendly activities.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 1
- Dec 2
Show all 26 events for December
- Dec 2
- Dec 3 – Dec 13
Melbourne International Arts Festival 2026
A major arts festival showcasing contemporary theatre, dance, music, and visual arts from local and international artists across Melbourne.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 3
- Dec 3
- Dec 4
- Dec 4
- Dec 4
- Dec 4
- Dec 5
- Dec 5
- Dec 5 – Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 8
- Dec 11
- Dec 11
- Dec 12 – Dec 13
White Night Melbourne 2026
An all-night cultural event featuring light installations, performances, and interactive art across Melbourne's city center.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 12
- Dec 20
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert
A festive classical music concert featuring holiday favorites performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 24
Carols by Candlelight 2026
Melbourne’s iconic Christmas Eve event held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, featuring live performances and community singing.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 31
- Dec 31
Holidays, observances & long weekends
Holiday and observance schedules can affect services and venue hours; confirm each place directly.
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
- Dec 26Boxing DayPublic holiday
- Dec 28Boxing Day (substitute day)Public holiday
- Dec 25-Dec 28Long weekend
- Dec 25-Dec 27Long weekend
- Dec 26-Dec 28Long weekend
About Melbourne
City overview
Melbourne sits around the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay, with an 1837 grid, gold-rush buildings, tram corridors, laneways, and inner suburbs shaping a city built for cafes, sport, galleries, and neighborhoods. The CBD and Southbank hold the main visitor core, Fitzroy-Collingwood and Carlton carry food and music streets, and St Kilda, South Yarra, and the bay suburbs add beaches and nightlife.
Food & drink
Melbourne food is cafe-and-migration driven: flat whites and sourdough brunch define laneway mornings, meat pies and fish and chips cover quick Australian staples, souvlaki, laksa, yum cha, pho, and Lygon Street pasta show Greek, Malaysian, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Italian routes, and gelato fits warm evenings. Queen Victoria Market, Degraves Street, Flinders Lane, Lygon Street, Victoria Street in Richmond, Sydney Road, Acland Street, and laneway cafes are the core eating map.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Queen Victoria Market
- 2Eureka Skydeck
- 3Flinders Street Station
- 4State Library Victoria
- 5National Gallery of Victoria
- 6Melbourne Cricket Ground
- 7Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building
- 8Federation Square
1Queen Victoria Market
4.5★ · 59,343outdoorClosed Mon/WedQueen Victoria Market covers two city blocks with produce, deli counters, meat halls, clothing, souvenirs, and prepared food stalls. It is one of the easiest places to understand Melbourne daily eating habits.
Wikipedia
2Eureka Skydeck
4.5★ · 17,302outdoorOpen dailyEureka Tower rises above Southbank with the Skydeck on level 88. The view explains the CBD grid, Docklands, Port Phillip Bay, the Yarra corridor, and the Dandenong Ranges on clear days.
Wikipedia
3Flinders Street Station
4.4★ · 3,355outdoorFlinders Street Station is the central suburban rail landmark on the edge of the CBD grid. Its clocks, platforms, and tram interchanges make it a practical meeting point before laneway walks.
Wikipedia
Show 3 more sights
- 4State Library Victoria
- 5National Gallery of Victoria
- 6Melbourne Cricket Ground
Neighborhoods
1CBD and Docklands
The CBD and Docklands include Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Bourke Street Mall, laneways, Chinatown, Queen Victoria Market, offices, hotels, and waterfront apartments.
2Southbank and St Kilda Road
Southbank and St Kilda Road hold the NGV, Arts Centre, Eureka Skydeck, river restaurants, Crown, gardens access, and tram lines toward the bay.
3Carlton and Parkville
Carlton and Parkville bring Lygon Street Italian restaurants, Melbourne Museum, Royal Exhibition Building, universities, hospitals, terraces, and leafy streets.
Day trips
45km / about 1h by car or train-and-bus from central Melbourne
Dandenong Ranges
The ranges east of Melbourne have forest walks, gardens, lookouts, villages, and the Puffing Billy heritage railway. It is the easiest cool green day outside the city.
55km / about 1h by car northeast of Melbourne
Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley is the practical wine-tasting day, with vineyards, Healesville, and Healesville Sanctuary in the same direction. A tour solves cellar-door driving.
100km / about 1.5h by car to Torquay, then a full-day coastal drive
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road starts near Torquay and continues through surf beaches, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and limestone coast toward the Twelve Apostles. Treat it as a long day or overnight route.
Getting around
Use myki for Metro trains, Yarra Trams, buses, and V/Line regional trains, with the Free Tram Zone covering central CBD hops and Southern Cross handling many regional departures. Trams are best for the CBD, St Kilda, Carlton, Fitzroy, and Richmond edges, while trains move faster to outer suburbs and walking works well inside the central grid and laneways.
Planning a Melbourne trip?
Add your dates and we'll check every place for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Common questions about Melbourne in December
- What to pack for Melbourne in December
Pack for December's weather, not a generic Melbourne checklist.
- Layerable daytime clothes for average highs around 24°C / 76°F.
- A light evening layer because nights average 13°C / 55°F.
- A small umbrella or packable shell for scattered rain across about 6 days.
- How many days do you need in Melbourne
- 4 days covers the main Melbourne highlights at a realistic pace. Add 3 extra days if you want the listed day trips.
- Is Melbourne worth visiting in December
- Yes. December in Melbourne averages 24°C / 76°F highs, 13°C / 55°F nights, and about 6 rainy days.
Ready to plan Melbourne?
You've seen what's on — now get a day-by-day Melbourne plan for December 2026, every place checked for your exact dates.