Clear the afternoon.
On Saturday 24 October, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival is taking over Prahran Square for a huge afternoon of free live music, bringing big band energy, soulful grooves and world-class jazz into the heart of the precinct.
And yes, it’s completely free.
Big band to Afro-Soul, all in one afternoon
Things kick off with DJ MzRizk from 1pm, setting the tone and keeping the energy moving between sets all afternoon.
Then at 1.30pm, the Melbourne Conservatorium Big Band brings the full force of a roaring live ensemble to the Square.
From 3pm, Owelu Dreamhouse takes over with lush, soulful sounds before the day builds to its headline set.
At 4.45pm, internationally acclaimed South African vocalist and trumpeter Mandisi Dyantyis closes the afternoon with Afrospace Interchange, bringing a powerful mix of Afro-soul and jazz to Prahran.
Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
Free music, big energy, right in the middle of Prahran
This is the kind of afternoon made for gathering the crew, grabbing something nearby and settling in for a few hours of seriously good live music.
No tickets. No fuss.
Just jazz, sunshine, good company and one very lively Prahran Square.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival at Prahran Square
When: Saturday 24 October 2026
Where: Prahran Square
Cost: Free
DJ MzRizk
1pm–1.30pm, and between live acts
Melbourne Conservatorium Big Band
1.30pm–2.30pm
Owelu Dreamhouse
3pm–4.15pm
Mandisi Dyantyis with Afrospace Interchange
4.45pm–6pm
One afternoon. Four acts. Zero dollars.
See you in the Square.
Jazz up your bottle
Raise a glass to the Jazz Festival with 10 dollars off a bottle of wine at Windsor Wine Room.
Available Saturday 17 to Saturday 24 October during normal trading hours, including both ticketed and non-ticketed festival events. Simply mention the Jazz Festival to the team when ordering to redeem.
A work of art, at a great price
Add a little art to your festival experience with 10% off artworks at MARS Gallery for Melbourne Fringe and Melbourne International Jazz Festival attendees.
Available Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 October during the festival period. Simply mention the festival when visiting MARS Gallery to redeem.
Donut miss this one!
Make your Saturday jazz session even sweeter with 50% off a regular donut when you purchase a hot drink at Pesty’s Place.
The offer is available to everyone from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 24 October, no event ticket is required to redeem this promotion.
Feeding the whole crew? Pesty’s Place also offers discounts when purchasing multiple donuts, including boxes of 6 and 12.
You had me at fromage.
Take your tastebuds to France with Maker & Monger’s 55 dollar French Favourites Cheese Platter for Two, featuring four expertly matured French cheeses paired with fresh and dried local fruits, honeycomb and crackers.
Perfect for sharing before or after the festivities, and even better paired with a bottle of wine. Maker & Monger has a great selection of wines available to purchase to complete your French-inspired feast.
Pre-order your platter online for 55 dollars here. Be sure to order by Friday, 23 October.
A taste of España, picnic style.
Pick up a little taste of Spain with La Colmena’s 42 dollar Picnic Box, packed with sweet treats made for sharing, or keeping all to yourself.
Inside you’ll find three varieties of La Colmena’s signature Flor Manchega, a slice of almond-rich Tarta de Santiago, plus lemon and almond & chocolate biscuits.
How to order: No pre-order required. Simply visit La Colmena at Prahran Market, next to Market Lane, and order your Picnic Box for 42 dollars.
Terms and conditions: Available for walk-up orders only, subject to availability.
You had me at grazing.
Picnic plans, sorted! Pick up a 35 dollar Wandilla Picnic Box for two, packed with premium cold cuts, artisan cheeses, gluten-free wafers, dried fruits, cornichons and marinated vegetables.
Add a bottle of wine from Wandilla’s range and you’ve got everything you need for the perfect picnic. 🍷🧀
How to order: Pre-order online by 12pm Friday, 23 October, then collect your box from Wandilla at Prahran Market.
Terms and conditions: 35 dollars per box. Designed to serve two. Pre-orders must be placed by 12pm the day before collection.
Smart cookies come in boxes of six.
Build your dream cookie box at Cookie Avenue with six cookies for 32 dollars. Mix and match from Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, White Choc Biscoff, Banoffee Pie, Choc Macadamia and Tiramisu. Stick with your favourite or try a bit of everything!
How to order: No pre-order required. Simply visit Cookie Avenue at Prahran Market and build your box on the day.
Terms and conditions: 32 dollars for a box of six. Available for walk-up orders.
The school holidays are creeping up. Before anyone says “I’m bored”, we’ve got three words for you: Greville Street Library.
The Prahran favourite is putting on a free Spring School Holiday Program for kids aged 5–12, with zine-making, science crafts and a prehistoric storytime all happening across September.
Three activities. Zero dollars. Very handy information for anyone staring down two weeks of entertaining small humans.
Make Your Own Zine
First up, kids can get cutting, sticking, drawing and creating at Making Zines with Andrea Rowe.
A little DIY publishing session feels particularly at home on Greville Street, if you ask us.
Tuesday 22 September
1–2:30pm
Making Zines with Andrea Rowe
Science, But Make It Crafty
Got a kid who likes making things, experimenting with things, or generally asking “but why?” approximately 47 times a day?
The Science Craft Drop-In is probably the one.
It’s a free drop-in session, so add it to the school holiday rotation and let someone else handle the activities for an hour.
Wednesday 23 September
11am–12pm
Science Craft Drop-In
Then Come The Pterosaurs
The final session takes things back. Way back.
Author and illustrator Andrew Plant is heading to Greville Street Library for a storytime featuring Pterosaurs of the Desert Ocean.
Dinosaurs-adjacent prehistoric creatures at the library? That Monday afternoon just planned itself.
Monday 28 September
2–3pm
Pterosaurs of the Desert Ocean Storytime with Andrew Plant
Put Greville Street on the school holiday list
All three workshops and author visits are free and happening at Greville Street Library during the spring school holidays.
Our suggestion? Book the activity, grab something good to eat nearby afterwards and call that one school holiday day very successfully handled.
Where: 180 Greville St, Prahran VIC 3181
Who: Kids aged 5–12
Cost: Free
When: 22, 23 & 28 September
Craft, Create & Enjoy Free Frites
Taking part in our Science Craft Drop-in?
Pop into Friterie between 12pm and 2pm and score a free Classic Frites with any frites purchase.
Just show the holiday program graphic at the counter and enjoy a tasty treat while you’re out exploring.
Wednesday 23 September
12–2pm
Friterie, 167 Chapel St, Windsor
Double the Cheesecake
Treat yourself to La Colmena’s much-loved “My Mum’s Cheesecake”.
Buy one cheesecake and get your second for 50% off.
Tuesday 22 September
La Colmena, Prahran Market, Prahran
A Toastie Two-for-One
Double up on something delicious at Maker & Monger.
Buy one Brioche Fondue Toastie and get another free, perfect for sharing with a fellow cheese lover or treating yourself to an extra serve.
Tuesday 22 September
Maker & Monger, Prahran Market, Prahran
Sunday afternoon plans? Sorted.
Caravan Sounds is bringing free DJ sessions, good tunes and a seriously fun custom-built caravan sound system to the Chapel Street precinct this spring.
Think open-air sets, a playlist made for lingering, and a very easy excuse to stretch the weekend out a little longer.
A caravan. A DJ. A very good Sunday.
The concept is simple: a custom-built caravan sound system rolls in, a professional DJ takes over, and the afternoon gets a whole lot more fun.
Each session is free, open to all ages, and curated to suit the location — so you can drop by for a few tracks, settle in for the afternoon, or make a proper day of it with mates.
No tickets. No complicated plans. Just turn up.
Where to catch it
Caravan Sounds is popping up across the precinct on the second Sunday of each month, with sessions in South Yarra and Windsor.
Sunday 13 September
3pm–5.30pm
Grosvenor Street Reserve, South Yarra
Sunday 11 October
3pm–6.30pm
Windsor Plaza, Peel Street
Sunday 8 November
3pm–6.30pm
Grosvenor Street Reserve, South Yarra
Make a day of it
The best bit? Once the decks stop spinning, you’re already exactly where you want to be.
Grab a late lunch beforehand, swing by for the music, then roll straight into dinner and drinks nearby when the sun starts dropping.
Very little planning. Very strong Sunday.
Caravan Sounds
When: Second Sunday of each month, September–November
Where: Grosvenor Street Reserve, South Yarra and Windsor Plaza, Windsor
Cost: Free
Good for: Sunday hangs, live DJs, mates, families and anyone not quite ready for the weekend to end
Caravan Sounds is proudly presented by Chapel Street Precinct.
Come for a few tracks. Accidentally stay all afternoon.
Fire. Acrobatics. Special effects. Comedy. And the occasional stunt that probably shouldn’t be attempted at home.
CIRCUS FIRE Spectacular is taking over Prahran Square this October, bringing four nights of high-energy, heart-racing circus to the middle of the Chapel Street precinct.
And here’s the kicker: it’s completely free.
Four Nights. Plenty Of Fire.
Presented by Chapel Street and Melbourne Fringe, CIRCUS FIRE Spectacular comes courtesy of internationally awarded ZAP Circus and husband-and-wife duo Tarrabelle and Rusty.
These two know their way around a spectacle.
Having performed around the world, they’re bringing their signature mix of fire, acrobatics, special effects and razor-sharp comedy to Prahran Square for four nights only.
Expect big tricks, bigger flames and stunts so wild even the performers might want to look away.
Circus, But Turn The Heat Up
This isn’t your sit-quietly-and-clap-politely kind of circus.
CIRCUS FIRE Spectacular packs its action into 45 minutes, combining genuinely impressive circus skills with plenty of laughs and enough fire to make your eyebrows nervous.
It’s fast. It’s funny. It’s a little bit dangerous.
Just how we like our Thursday nights.
Make A Night Of It
With the show kicking off after dark, consider this your excuse to turn a trip to the circus into a proper Chapel Street night out.
Grab dinner in Prahran beforehand, wander over to the Square for the show, then keep things going with a drink afterwards.
Date night? Sorted.
Night out with the crew? Even better.
Bringing the family? They’ll probably be talking about the fire all the way home.
CIRCUS FIRE Spectacular at Prahran Square
When: Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 October 2026
Thursday: 8:15pm
Friday: 8:30pm
Saturday: 8:30pm
Sunday: 8:15pm
Where: Prahran Square, Cato Street, Prahran
Show length: 45 minutes
Cost: FREE
Four nights. No tickets to buy. Plenty of fire.
We’ll see you in the square🔥
A fire-breathing deal at Suzie Q
Add a little fire to your Circus Fire Spectacular experience with a $20 Dragon’s Breath cocktail at Suzie Q.
Available Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October during Suzie Q’s normal trading hours. Simply mention Circus Fire Spectacular when ordering to redeem. No event ticket required.
Please note: Suzie Q serves its 59 dollar all-you-can-eat yum cha menu during Saturday and Sunday lunch, with the Dragon’s Breath offer still available.