You can’t get much more “Melbourne” than the Melbourne Festival. This annual celebration sees city streets transformed with pop-up art spaces, bustling theatres and bars packed out with festivalgoers over 18 days of film, dance, music, theatre and visual arts. For a city that loves the arts, it’s a calendar highlight.

“A festival is the time of year when you totally immerse yourself in your passion or interest,” says festival artistic director Jonathan Holloway, “and this year’s festival explores just how incredibly brilliant people can be – from artists and musicians to writers and technical teams.”