Shown in Australia for the very first time, exclusive to Melbourne, this exhibition contains original sketches and rare artworks from 1928 to the present day, including a world-first exhibit of artworks from Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). The Walt Disney Animation Studios have been creating extraordinary films for nearly a century, and every film begins with drawings that capture the essence of character, story and emotion. This exhibition features over 500 exceptional artworks including original paintings, sketches and concept art that have been specially selected by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library in Los Angeles, California. These rarely seen works reveal the development of beloved stories and animation techniques from your favourite Walt Disney Animation Studios films and shorts, including Mickey Mouse’s first talkie, Steamboat Willie (1928), films such as Fantasia (1940), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Lion King (1994), Frozen (2013), Moana (2016), Frozen 2 (2019) and the studio’s latest release, Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). The five sections of this exhibition each focus on a different era of innovation, from perfecting the technique of bringing two dimensional drawings to life in the 1920s, to the creation of the first animated feature films in the late 1930s and 1940s, the stylistic innovations of the post-war years, the renaissance of the 1990s to the digital revolution and advances of present day. The exhibition charts the Walt Disney Animation Studio’s process in continuing to tell diverse and inclusive stories for contemporary audiences. Big and little kids alike can explore the five kingdoms of the world of Kumandra from the studio’s latest release Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) through a COVIDSafe touch-free giant wall map, or bathe in a room of light that reveals how animators use colour to express different emotions. You can even step inside a scene from the Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Be inspired by the incredible artistry behind your favourite characters and discover how drawings are brought to life, from pencil and paper to today’s computer-generated wonders.

This December, head to Fed Square to fly high and see Melbourne from a viewpoint like no other – from a zipline over the Yarra River!

This New Year’s Eve we’re celebrating with Street Feasts – and Fed Square will be turning inside out, extending our dining footprint across the Square, so you can ring in the New Year with the best food and drink our city has to offer, right at its beating heart. With everything from snack and sip options like champagne and freshly shucked oysters or a craft beer-matched bento box with lobster roll and caviar and crab tostadas – through to epic Middle Eastern banquets – there’s a Street Feast that will suit your food mood this NYE. Check out the participating restaurants below, salivate over the delicious menus – and get booking! Street Feasts is presented in partnership with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (MFWF) and the City of Melbourne.

Ho-ho-ho, Melbourne! Merry Christmas! Come and visit Santa and his Elves, as he tinkers away in his Melbourne workshop, making toys and presents for the big day. Santa is a very busy man at this time of the year, surrounded by workshop tools and machinery, so he can’t invite children to sit down and have a chat. But don’t fret! The jolly Elves are ready and waiting to introduce you to the man in red. Santa will happily give a friendly wave and even pose for a photo, from a COVID-safe distance. Santa’s Workshop hours Early season operation: Saturday 13 November–Wednesday 1 December Santa’s hours: daily, from 10.00am – 12.00pm and 1:00pm – 3:00pm Peak season operation: Thursday 2 December–25 December Open to public: daily, 10:00am – 11:00pm Santa’s hours: daily, from 10:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Thursdays and Fridays, extended hours from 4:00pm – 7:00pm In Partnership with: