It will be a hot and humid Australia Day on Wednesday, with forecasters tipping a top of 35 degrees and a 50 per cent chance of showers in the evening.
Here’s a list of what’s happening on Australia Day in Melbourne.
For the third year running, the We-akon Dilinja reflection ceremony will be held at Alfred Square in St Kilda at 6am. This year’s theme is healing through remembrance, reflection and recognition and seeks to convey the culture of traditional owners through readings, music and a smoking ceremony.
The Victorian NAIDOC committee presents the 2022 Invasion Day dawn service, a virtual event marking Australia Day as a day of mourning, ongoing dispossession, displacement and oppression for the First Peoples of Australia. Register for free and tune in at 6.15am here.
Fed square will play host to a day of free, family-friendly entertainment and free food from 10am, with acts including Bananas in Pyjamas and Bluey, as well as live music with the Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra. To close the day, the 1980 musical fantasy spectacular, Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John will be shown on the big screen.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Governor Linda Dessau will attend official flag raising ceremony in Melbourne. The event will feature a rendition of the national anthem and a reading of the Australia Day affirmation and can be livestreamed from 10.30am.
A 21-gun salute will be fired from the Shrine of Remembrance’s lower forecourt by the Royal Australian Artillery at midday. The salute will also be livestreamed.
Our Survival Day 2022 is an all-inclusive family event held at The Briars in Mount Martha, promoting strength, passion and community with a focus on Indigenous education, cultural entertainment, food and sustainability through the theme of reconnection. The day will see several Indigenous musical artists perform from noon, as well as a variety of cultural activities.
The Frankston summer carnival will begin at noon on Australia Day on the Frankston foreshore and run until February 20. The carnival will feature fun rides for kids, including dodgem cars, as well as a variety of games, food and showbags.
The Eynesbury summer festival celebrates the last hurrah of the five-day food truck festival and kingdom festival for kids event. The festival promises a showground experience, with food, rides, showbags, novelty stores and kid-friendly entertainment and activities.
Australian Street Eatz are partnering with the “We are One” movement and holding an event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. There will be live entertainment, food trucks and bars from midday.
At 12.30pm, the Air Force Roulettes will conduct a fly-past of Melbourne’s CBD, followed by an aerobatic display over Kings Domain and the Shrine of Remembrance. The Roulettes will reach speeds of 540 km/h and fly as low as 80 metres.
Headlined by Daryl Braithwaite and supported by Didirri and the Pierce Brothers, the Victorian government is putting on this free public concert from 1.30pm.
Several City Councils including Moonee Valley, Stonnington and Yarra will be holding healing ceremonies, celebrating Indigenous culture through dance, music, stories and language.
An eight-minute drone will take place over Victoria Harbour from 9.30pm, telling the Wurundjeri creation story of how the Platypus (Dulai Wurrung) was made. The story will be told and illustrated by Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum Wurrung artist Mandy Nicholson.
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