Correction (2 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten, and every place below was checked against its own current information.
Free first, always, but only when a venue’s own page says free. This is a plan for Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October 2026, checked on Friday 2 October against each venue’s own pages (if you are reading on Saturday or Sunday, Friday night’s Court House gig has already been and gone), and no venue below is listed as free for everyone, so the list runs from the cheapest listed price up. Alexandra Gardens leads because the council’s page for it lists no price at all. None of these venues publishes a suggested visit length, so the time shown is the opening window or the event time. Where a venue’s own page names a tram or a station it is quoted; otherwise the PTV journey planner is your friend. Kew Junction’s events page also lists Seniors Week from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 October 2026.
The quick picks
| When | Head to | Cost as listed | Time as listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any day | Alexandra Gardens (Kew) | No price listed | No hours listed |
| Sunday 4 October | Hawthorn Makers Market (Hawthorn) | $2 entry donation | 10am to 3pm |
| Sunday 4 October for the kids’ sessions | Studley Park Boathouse (Kew) | Kids’ sessions $5 or $10 per child | Friday and Saturday 8am to 9pm, Sunday 8am to 7pm |
| Saturday and Sunday | National Communication Museum (Hawthorn) | $24 adult, $8 child (7 to 16 years) | 10am to 5pm |
| Friday and Saturday night | Lido Cinemas Jazz Room (Hawthorn) | $30 members and seniors, $35 non-members | 8pm to 10pm |
| Friday 2 October | Kew Court House (Kew) | $35 | 7:30pm |
Alexandra Gardens — 70 Cotham Road, Kew VIC 3101
Cost: no price is listed on the council’s page. Time: no hours are listed there either. Get there: the council says the gardens are 400 m from Kew Junction shopping centre.
The council describes “Beautiful gardens in Kew featuring large trees, lawns, a pond and rotunda”, and says they are “Suitable for weddings, celebrations, barbecues and other social gatherings like picnics.” It is the easy option for a wander if the plan falls through. One caution: the council lists toilets inside Kew Library, which is closed for upgrades, so we can’t promise a toilet here.
Hawthorn Makers Market — 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Cost: a $2 entry donation, per the council’s event page. Time: Sunday 4 October, 10am to 3pm. Get there: the market’s own site lists trams 16, 70 and 75 and a short walk from Glenferrie Station, with parking behind the Hawthorn Arts Centre.
The market runs on the first Sunday of the month, March to December, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, and describes itself as “Curating the best of Australian handcraft in one central marketplace.” Same building, same afternoon: the council says Town Hall Gallery will be open additional hours on Sunday 4 October, 12pm to 4pm. The next market date listed is Sunday 1 November.
Studley Park Boathouse — 1 Boathouse Road, Kew VIC 3101
Cost: kids’ sessions are $5 per child for the Mini Explorers and $10 for the Big Explorers, per its FAQ; boat-hire and food prices were not captured. Time: trading hours are Friday and Saturday 8:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday 8:00am to 7:00pm; its FAQ says the Mini and Big Explorers sessions run every Sunday (Mini Explorers 9am, 10.15am and 2pm; Big Explorers 10am, 11am and 12pm), so for this weekend that means Sunday 4 October.
The boathouse calls itself “the oldest public boathouse on the Yarra River”, serving Melbourne for over 160 years, and its boat-hire page says standard sessions are 60 minutes in total. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor spaces on a leash. The council places it inside Yarra Bend Park.
National Communication Museum — 375 Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Cost: adult $24, concession $18, child (7 to 16 years) $8, and a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) $60; children 6 and under are free. Time: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, so both weekend days.
It sits in “a refurbished 1939 telephone exchange, where some original equipment is still operational”, and its home page lists the exhibition Radical Computing, 19 Sep 2026 to 21 Feb 2027. It is indoors, which makes it the rain backup.
Lido Cinemas — 675 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Cost: Jazz Room live music is $30 for members and seniors and $35 for non-members. Time: Friday and Saturday nights, 8pm to 10pm.
The Lido describes the room as “Tucked underneath a cinema screen and down a narrow stairway”, with live music weekly on Friday and Saturday nights. We captured no Saturday lineup, so check the Lido’s page for who is on.
Kew Court House — 188 High Street, Kew VIC 3101
Cost: $35 for Kew Court House Live: Lounge of the Flamingo. Time: Friday 2 October, 7:30pm; the council says the bar opens from 7pm.
The council describes it as a historic building, built in 1888, “with an 80-seat theatre”, and the small tuck shop bar is open pre-show and during interval. Next weekend’s listings: Hypnos Ensemble on Friday 9 October at 7:30pm for $25, and Blues Roulette presents CCR on Saturday 10 October at 7:30pm for $40. Kew Library is also temporarily located here during its upgrade works.
Plan it
- Friday 2 October: Kew Court House, Lounge of the Flamingo at 7:30pm ($35), or the Lido Jazz Room from 8pm.
- Saturday 3 October: the National Communication Museum from 10am, then the Lido Jazz Room at 8pm.
- Sunday 4 October: Hawthorn Makers Market from 10am to 3pm ($2), with the Town Hall Gallery’s extra 12pm to 4pm hours in the same building.
Rain backup: the museum is indoors and open Sunday as well as Saturday. The temporary Kew Library at Kew Court House lists Saturday 10am to 1pm.
Quick answers
What is on in Kew this weekend?
As of Friday 2 October 2026: live music at Kew Court House on Friday at 7:30pm ($35), Jazz Room nights at the Lido in Hawthorn on Friday and Saturday from 8pm, the National Communication Museum in Hawthorn open Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm, and Hawthorn Makers Market on Sunday 10am to 3pm. Kew Junction’s events page lists Seniors Week from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 October 2026.
Is there a market in Kew this weekend?
As of Friday 2 October 2026, yes on the Sunday: Hawthorn Makers Market is on Sunday 4 October, 10am to 3pm, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, with a $2 entry donation. The Boroondara Farmers Market is not on Saturday 3 October, because the council’s list of dates starts on Saturday 17 October.
Is there live music in Kew this weekend?
Kew Court House Live: Lounge of the Flamingo is on Friday 2 October at 7:30pm, $35. Over the border in Hawthorn, the Lido Jazz Room lists live music on Friday and Saturday nights, 8pm to 10pm, at $30 for members and seniors and $35 for non-members.
What can I do in Kew if it rains this weekend?
The National Communication Museum, 375 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm: adult $24, child (7 to 16 years) $8. The temporary Kew Library at Kew Court House lists Saturday 10am to 1pm.
What is on at Kew Court House next weekend?
Hypnos Ensemble on Friday 9 October at 7:30pm, $25, and Blues Roulette presents CCR on Saturday 10 October at 7:30pm, $40, as listed by the council on 2 October 2026.
How we checked
On Friday 2 October 2026 we read each venue’s own page, or the council’s page for it, and copied dates, times and prices as printed. We confirmed each address at a second source: OpenStreetMap, the council’s own page, or the Kew Junction directory. Event dates, session times and prices change, and some venues load only part of their listings on the web, so confirm before you leave. This page describes the weekend of 2 to 4 October 2026 only. The Lido’s own site gives its number as 675 Glenferrie Road where OpenStreetMap lists 673-681; we use the Lido’s. For Studley Park Boathouse we print its trading hours and the session days from its FAQ; its boat prices were not in the page text we could read. Three of the six places are across the border in Hawthorn, which is why they carry Hawthorn addresses. The cover is a MELBZ title card.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Alexandra Gardens: council park page, council parks list and OpenStreetMap
- Hawthorn Makers Market: market website, council event page, Hawthorn Arts Centre page and Town Hall Gallery page
- Boroondara Farmers Market dates: council upcoming markets
- Studley Park Boathouse: website, FAQs, boat hire, council Yarra Bend Park page and OpenStreetMap
- National Communication Museum: website, plan your visit and OpenStreetMap
- Lido Cinemas: website, Jazz Room and OpenStreetMap
- Kew Court House: council page, Kew Court House Live listings, Kew Junction directory and OpenStreetMap
- Kew Library (temporary site): council hours page
- Seniors Week: Kew Junction events
