A brand new yr, a brand new begin – what adventures will your loved ones have in 2026?
To kickstart your enjoyable we’ve compiled a listing of 30 superior issues to do together with your children this January.
WHEN ARE THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN VICTORIA IN 2026?
Victorian Summer Holidays 2026 are from Saturday 20 December 2025 to Tuesday 27 January 2026.
THINGS TO DO IN MELBOURNE IN SUMMER
1 January – Splash and play at Adventure Park
Head to Victoria’s greatest theme park with our insider ideas for visiting Adventure Park Geelong this summer season.
If you missed out in December, ebook the Christmas Lights Festival taking place each Saturday in January 2026!
Adventure Park Geelong, 1249 Bellarine Hwy, Wallington
2 January – Visit Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum have curated thrilling occasions and actions to make your vacation go to one of the best one but!
Babies, toddlers, children and youths are all invited to embark on the best of museum adventures with interactive actions designed for each age group.
Melbourne Museum, Fri 20 Dec 2025 – Sun 25 Jan 2026
3 January – Get bubbly at Scienceworks
With actions, workshops, and Planetarium adventures, it’s an ideal household outing these college holidays!
Scienceworks, 2 Booker St, Spotswood, 21 Dec 2024 – 27 Jan 2025
4 January – See the animals at Sunset Safari Werribee Zoo
Sunset Safari is an after-hours occasion held at Werribee Zoo the place you’ll be able to discover the strolling path all through the Werribee Zoo at nightfall.
As the solar units, get pleasure from a guided sundown tour, cocktails and canapes at Hippo Beach, feast on a conventional African braai BBQ, and enjoyment of an immersive efficiency that showcases the rhythm of Africa.
Sunset Safari Werribee Zoo, Saturday evenings from 4 January – 8 March 2025
5 January – Hit one among Melbourne’s greatest playgrounds
Melbourne is residence to a few of the most spectacular playgrounds you’ll be able to think about!
Make a day of park play by checking off the checklist of the greatest playgrounds in Melbourne.
6 January – Discover Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula
Embark on a household journey simply 75 minutes from Melbourne within the charming haven of Geelong! With its laid-back vibes and infinite potentialities, Geelong guarantees a stress-free time out for households.
With plenty of enjoyable actions for youths, you possibly can simply spend a half-day, full day or perhaps a brief break on this bustling coastal metropolis. Read our checklist of one of the best locations to go and issues to do with children in Geelong.
7 January – Visit a Beach Playground
Carrum Beach is one among our favorite seashore playgrounds in Melbourne with a beautiful nautical-themed playground on the foreshore.
Also try the greatest seashore playgrounds we’ve reviewed together with seashore playgrounds at Williamstown, Altona and Albert Park.
8 January – Get your Thrills at Luna Park
Embrace the sunny ambiance with limitless rides, amusement video games and meals for a great time out!
Luna Park Melbourne has been delivering thrills and entertaining children since 1912. Grab your limitless trip tickets to Luna Park Melbourne with Experience Oz so as to add this must-do attraction to your summer season enjoyable.
Tee up for the last word summer season showdown with Luna Park’s Summer Mini Golf Course! Whether you’re a hole-in-one professional or simply out for the giggles, this mini-golf course guarantees loads of laughs and challenges for all ages.
9 January – Enjoy free water play
Water play actions are nice for maintaining children busy whereas additionally serving to them develop and strengthen their gross and high-quality motor expertise.
Enjoy free water play at one among Melbourne’s many free water play areas.
10 January – Hit the seashore
Pack your bucket, spade and discover a few of Melbourne’s greatest seashores for youths.
While you’re there, try the greatest beachside eats in Melbourne.
11 January – Get inventive with NGV Kids Summer Festival
The NGV Kids Summer Festival is again with seven days of free household enjoyable.
Bring all of the household and luxuriate in an ideal time out – there’s one thing for everybody!
NGV Kids Summer Festival, NGV International, St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Saturday 10 January – Friday 16 January 2026
12 January – Eat one of the best ice cream in Melbourne
I scream, you scream, all of us scream for ice cream!
Cool down with a scrumptious deal with and work your approach by my checklist of Melbourne’s greatest ice cream and gelato or greatest ice cream and gelato supply in Melbourne.
13 January – Australian Open Tennis
If you like tennis then the Australian Open is unquestionably one thing you shouldn’t miss this summer season!
See tennis stars, benefit from the meals and drinks and festive ambiance. Read my recommendations on visiting the Australian Open with children.
Australian Open Tennis, Sun, Jan 11, 2026 – Sun, Jan 27, 2026
Related: Where to search out free public tennis courts in Melbourne
15 January – Go for a swim
Head to your favorite public pool for some splashy enjoyable!
Whether you’re searching for an indoor swimming pool or an out of doors swimming pool, try the place to search out one of the best swimming swimming pools in Melbourne.
Even higher, convey your personal meals and order a grazing field so that you simply must pack your bathers, towel and sunscreen!
16 January – Get Arty at ArtPlay
Let your creativeness soar at ArtPlay, the place youngsters aged 0-13 can have interaction in creative expression by collaborative workshops and occasions.
Set in Birrarung Marr, ArtPlay emphasises creativity with a various summer season program permitting households to take part in growing new creative experiences collectively.
ArtPlay, Birrarung Marr, Russell St Ext, Melbourne VIC 3004
17 January – Visit the library
Picture your loved ones delving right into a world of books, actions, and studying adventures this summer season!
The greatest public libraries in Melbourne provide an oasis of information and creativity, the place you’ll be able to escape the warmth, share fascinating tales, and luxuriate in enriching packages which might be usually free or low-cost.
Bookworms can even love Melbourne’s greatest bookshops and Melbourne’s greatest secondhand bookshops.
18 January – Visit Convent Kids!
There are plenty of free actions and occasions on on the Abbotsford Convent these holidays as a part of their Convent Kids Summer program.
Engage in interactive art-making with BOX MACHINE! at Abbotsford Convent. Designed for ages 12 and below, actions embody costume creation and dance workshops. This sensory expertise invitations creativity and play, with entry priced at solely $5!
Convent Kids, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford
19 January – Take a prepare to regional Victoria
Victoria has some gorgeous locations which might be crammed with enjoyable actions for households and are only a prepare trip away.
Grab you myki card and take a look at our checklist of day journeys by prepare from Melbourne for a enjoyable time out this summer season.
21 January – Slip and slide at Melbourne’s greatest waterslides
Whether you’re zooming down twisting slides, braving gravity-defying drops, or just having fun with a leisurely float down lazy rivers, Melbourne’s greatest waterslides provide a refreshing respite from the warmth.
Here’s a listing of Melbourne’s greatest waterslides on your subsequent thrilling water journey!
22 January – School Holiday Street Art with Blender Studios
Let your baby discover their inventive facet with a freehand or stencil avenue artwork workshop run by Blender Studios. Kids will discover ways to grasp the difficult artwork of working with spray paint as a medium and work on a picket board that they’ll have the ability to take residence after the workshop.
The workshop prices $89 and is operating on varied weekdays all all through January. It goes for round 2 hours.
School Holiday Street Art Workshop, Blender Studios, 33-35 Dudley St, West Melbourne, +61 3 9328 5556
23 January – Venture outdoor at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
This summer season college vacation interval, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is providing a plethora of free, self-guided actions; excellent to have a good time with the entire household.
These out of doors experiences embody historic nature trails, sentimental youngsters’s theatre and audio excursions.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria 7:30 am – 7:30 pm every day
24 January – Head to the coast
Take benefit of the clear clouds, vibrant solar, and heat summer season warmth by heading to the seashore for a day journey or for the lengthy weekend with my family-friendly guides to Lorne, Mornington Peninsula and Frankston.
25 January – Get Inspired at ACMI
ACMI is the right summer season vacation spot for households, providing interactive exhibitions that may captivate children and oldsters alike.
For older children and youths, Game Worlds takes you on a journey by the worlds which have outlined gaming throughout generations. Open every day, it’s a inventive escape the entire household will get pleasure from.
To full your day, a go to to ACMI and The Story of the Moving Image exhibition is a implausible solution to spend a morning or afternoon. You can learn my overview right here.
ACMI Fed Square, Open Daily, 10 am – 5 pm
26 January – Have a Ride on a Miniature Train
It’s Sunday! Take the children for an journey to Eltham to have a trip on the Diamond Valley Railway. You can learn my overview right here. Volunteers function the railway each Sunday of the month and households can trip steam and diesel trains for under $4 per particular person, with on-line tickets accessible solely.
Related: Best miniature railways throughout Melbourne and Victoria.
27 January – Go Bowling
Speaking of enjoyable actions, have you ever ever thought of spending Australia Day bowling in Melbourne? It’s a implausible solution to benefit from the day, and you’ll discover some nice bowling alleys like those highlighted on this information: Bowling in Melbourne.
However, it might be remiss of me to not level out that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Australia Day is taken into account a day of mourning and protest.
28 January – Catch a film at an open-air cinema
Take benefit of all of the out of doors cinemas open all through Melbourne in the course of the summer season and catch the most recent family-friendly flicks whereas stress-free on comfy chairs or lounging on a picnic rug.
If you’re unsure the place to search out them then you must try my publish on the Best Outdoor Cinema Melbourne
29 January – Go for a scoot or bike trip
Check out a few of the greatest bike trails in Melbourne for households or hit a playground with a motorcycle or scooter observe together with your wheels.
Another choice is to discover a stretch of beachside path round Port Melbourne. For occasion, Altona Beach is a implausible bay seashore with lengthy stretches of sand, a pier, cafes and a seashore playground. We love taking our bikes and scooters there.
30 January – Relax with a picnic
Last day of January earlier than college begins to settle in!
Take this present day to loosen up and have a chill time out below the solar with the folks you like. Order a gourmand picnic field, learn these zero-waste picnic ideas and go to one among Melbourne’s greatest picnic spots for households.
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