Exciting new things coming to Melbourne 2021!

January 20, 2021

As we bring in the new year we’ve collated the newest exciting things coming to Melbourne in 2021 wrapped up some event inspiration ideas for you to help bring your events to life!

Hotels

Quincy Hotel Melbourne – Beginning of 2021
Quincy Hotels will launch in Melbourne at the beginning of 2021 with a property on Flinders Lane, superbly located in the heart of Melbourne’s best lifestyle areas, offering easy access to the CBD areas with Flinders and Collins Street tram lines on your doorstep.

Boasting 241 rooms this new hotel will inspire guests with a sensory experience, signature dining destinations, and a unique approach to room service.

The hotel will feature innovative interior design, three signature food experiences, a rooftop pool with views of Melbourne CBD. Book now.

Next Hotel Melbourne – March 2021
Next Hotel will open in Melbourne in March 2021, located in Melbourne’s new premier dining and retail destination, 80 Collins Street.

The hotels design inspires sophistication and style, with a touch of Parisian elegance including 255 rooms and suites, an Italian themed La Madonna Restaurant and Bar and Australia’s first in-hotel barrel ageing program brought to you by the Barrel Room.

You’ll be able to reconnect and recharge with their Manhattan-loft inspired Club Rooms offering the perfect space to unwind or discuss a deal which includes two private 6-10 seat meeting rooms, a 24/7 fitness centre

Offer: For a limited time Next Hotel Melbourne are offering complimentary access to The Club when you book your Next or Next Level room directly with the team. Book here.

Wining and Dining

W Melbourne is set to open next month and we've got the inside scoop on what to expect from their exciting dining offerings.

Lollo - opening February 4
The W Melbourne's flagship restaurant Lollo, will have executive chef Adam D’Sylva as creative director (owner of Melbourne's successful restaurants Tonka and Coda)  and will work alongside hotel executive chef Jihun Kim to bring on an eclectic menu that features Australian produce in unexpected ways.

Curious - opening February 4
With a secret entrance via Market Street, you'll find W Melbourne's Curious cocktail lounge, featuring signature drinks with inspiration from Melbourne's vibrant art, fashion and coffee scene. 

Warabi -  opening in May
Japanese restaurant Warabi, will be an intimate dining experience for just 30 guests (with a private dining room for 10) focusing on seasonal produce paired with you favourite Japanese beverages including sake, whisky and beer.

Culprit Cafe - opening in May
Culprit Cafe is where cafe-meets-bar that is the perfect dining option to entertain from morning to night including an all-in-one cafe, wine bar and deli. 

Experiences

Zoo’s Victoria is bringing you a range of unique experiences this year, perfect to re-energise your team.

• Werribee Open Range Zoo: Take your team on a Sunset Safari (Every Saturday night from 6 February to 13 March 2021) or if you’re an early morning bird enjoy an early morning Savannah Experience and watch the animals awake for the day (8.20am Saturdays and Tuesdays).
• Melbourne Zoo: Camp overnight in the historic elephant exhibit, dine with your hosts, explore the zoo after dark before escaping to your tent for the night amongst the wildlife. (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, max 20 people)

Moonlight Cinema at Royal Botanical Gardens - Thu 7 Jan – Sun 25 Apr, Daily except Mon 
Australia’s favourite open air cinema is back where you can watch your favourite movies alfresco style under the stars surrounded by the endless greenery at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Bring a picnic mat and gather your team for a BYO picnic or treat yourself to the meals on offer by the surrounding food trucks. Perfect for incentive groups.

Screenings kick off at sunset (approx 8.45pm during summer and early as 6pm in April) and tickets range from $18-$40. See the current program here.

Rochford Winery 2021 Winery Vintage Experience – 21 Feb until 10 April
Looking for an off-site team experience? Take your team out for the day and watch first-hand the winemaking process at Rochford Winery. The full day experience includes a taste of the best seasonal produce at Rochford’s Isabella's Restaurant with a 2-course lunch included.

Sample the wine range with a personalised guided tasting from one of Rochford’s sommeliers and end the day sipping on artisan gin at the Gin Bar. Book now.

Events

MCB’s integration into Visit Victoria means we can access worldly known major events and create bespoke and ‘Once in a lifetime’ experiences unique to Melbourne. Incentive groups can be spoiled with famous events experiences fully customized to their requirements making it a VIP and memorable program.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – opening 25 Feb 2021
Exclusive to Melbourne, the magic returns to Princess Theatre and has been transformed to immerse audiences in the spectacular world of Harry Potter. Don’t miss out on seeing the most awarded production in Britain's Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play and Best Director. Group bookings are on sale now – book today.

International comedy festival – 24 March to 18 April
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival will be back, delivering COVID-safe laughs and good times to Melburnians and the world, on stage and online. For three and a half weeks in March and April, Melbourne will once again be the nation’s city of laughs. Shows now on sale.

Lume – opening Autumn 2021
Have you heard? Melbourne is re-igniting its’ art scene by welcoming a new digital immersive art gallery ‘The Lume Melbourne’ in Autumn 2021! With a permeant home at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the 11 metre high digital art gallery expanding over 3000 square metres is the perfect space to host your business event or experience to add to your incentive program.

Visitors will be transported into the world of different artists with live scale masterpieces interwoven with musical soundtracks and themed multi sensory experiences. Opening the inaugural experience will be the vibrant works of Vincent Van Gogh. Find out more.

Rising festival – 26 May – 6 June 2021
RISING is a major cultural event for the Asia Pacific Region curated by a diverse team of local, national and international artists. Replacing the Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night Melbourne, RISING will commence on the evening of the total lunar eclipse in May 2021. Based on connection and experience, it will re-energise and synchronise the city’s’ public performance, art and music scene. Find out more.

Formula 1 Grand Prix – November 2021
The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix will be hosted later this year at Albert Park over the November 18-21 weekend instead of March 18-21 date as originally planned. This will provide the opportunity for the event be be hosted safely and as the third-last race of the season, could be the championship-decider in the lead-in to Melbourne summer.