Summer holidays sorted at State Library Victoria with the best free and low-cost activities in the city

State Library Victoria is celebrating summer with a series of unmissable events for all ages, right in the heart of Melbourne. With plenty of free activities for kids and families, the Library is the perfect place to escape the heat during the school holidays. Catch a train, tram or bus into the city and check out the highlights including:

Summer Kids Takeover will be an explosion of colour, music and craft perfect for the school holidays. Drop in and draw all over the Library’s famous forecourt with pavement chalk art sessions. There is a huge lineup of free craft activities including make-your-own sun catchers, bunting and rainbow chandeliers. For the music lovers there will be Bollywood dancing, the Yarra Voices Children’s Choir performing in the Dome and a dedicated baby sensory experience in the Isabella Fraser Room.

Summer Kids Takeover is a free event, with some paid activities, 10am – 3pm, 16 January.

The Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter is the perfect place to spend a summer’s day. Grab a book and curl up in one of the reading nooks in the Library castle. And for busy hands, check out Colour Your World, a free, drop-in craft activity, where kids can create their own magnificent masterpieces all through the power of paper and pencils. Afterwards, they can display their amazing artwork onto our summer board and transform the Children’s Quarter with all the colours of the rainbow.

Colour Your World is a free event, 3-5pm from Friday 27 December to Tuesday 28 January.

Library on the Lawn, Melbourne’s favourite chill out zone returns to forecourt. Whether you want to pick up a book and relax on a beanbag under a brolly, show off your chess skills with a game on our large chessboards, or just soak up the sun as you watch the world go by, there is something for everyone. If you need a break from the summer heat, head inside the Library to explore our magnificent spaces or take a free tour.

Library on the Lawn is a free event from Thursday 16 January to Saturday 1 February.

Free exhibitions are the perfect way to escape the summer heat and discover the treasures of the Library. Step back in time and see retro photography of Melburnians at play in Melbourne Out Loud: Life through the lens of Rennie Ellis, with a selection of newly added photos celebrating queer culture. Venture up to the spectacular Dome galleries to explore the longest-running rare book exhibition in the world, World of the Book. Then head to the Redmond Barry Reading Room to pay Ned Kelly a visit and learn about Australia’s most infamous bushranger.

State Library Victoria’s exhibitions are free, open every day from 10am – 6pm.

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