Melbourne is a vibrant city of sports, entertainment & festivals. Here’s some ideas to keep you busy away from the track at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix takes place from Thursday March 13 to Sunday March 16
For more information on what’s happening at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, including the full on-track schedule, check out our Trackside post
Further ideas on the best districts of Melbourne and things to do in the city can be found in our Off-Track Activities post
Melbourne is renowned as the sporting capital of the world, with the Australian Grand Prix being one of the leading sporting events hosted in the city each year. Last year, the Albert Park race set a new record for Melbourne’s best-attended weekend sporting event – and the record looks set to be broken again this year, with race tickets mostly sold out and capacity expanded ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
From other sporting events, to fan festivals and top entertainment, here are some of the off-track events for Formula 1 fans to attend during their visit to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix!
Attend Melbourne’s Free F1 Fan Festival
As the city of Melbourne gears up to host the Australian Grand Prix, an all-new free five-day F1 festival will be taking place at Melbourne Oval Park in the south-east of the city. Opening on Wednesday March 12, the family-friendly event will feature a variety of activities – some of which can usually be found in the F1 Fan Zone on race weekends.
An official event, run by the organisers of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, you’ll be able to take a virtual driver selfie, experience the ‘F1 Blast Lane’ and get up close to the F1 show car. There’ll also be a video gaming lounge plus live on-stage interviews and Q&A session with yet-to-be-announced drivers.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Travis Auld said of the event: “I am thrilled to share that this year we are expanding the Grand Prix experience and taking over Melbourne, with the announcement of the free F1 Melbourne Fan Festival 2025 at Melbourne Park Oval.”
Food and drink will also be available at the fan festival, along with official Formula 1 merchandise.
Spend an Evening with Sir Jackie Stewart
What better way to countdown to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix than spending the eve of the weekend in the company of Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart. The three-time World Champion will host a special dinner in the Grand Ballroom at The Ritz-Carlton on Friday March 14, all in aid of raising awareness and funds for his Race Against Dementia charity.
Guests will be joined by Stewart and other Formula 1 personalities for the once-in-a-lifetime dinner. Enjoy dinner, fine wines, entertainment and a special auction, raising further funds.
Attend an AFL match
Melbourne is often referred to as the ‘sporting capital’ of Australia (or even the world). The city is rightly famous for events such as the Melbourne Cup horse race and Australian Open tennis, not to mention the Australian Grand Prix.
The new season of Australia’s unique brand of football known as the AFL (Australian Football League) kicks off just before F1 arrives in Melbourne, and several matches will be taking place in Melbourne on race weekend.
Richmond take on Carlton at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday March 13, Hawthorn vs Essendon is at the same venue on Friday March 14 and there are two matches on Saturday evening in Melbourne: Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne at the Marvel Stadium in Docklands, plus Collingwood vs Port Adelaide at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Race day itself sees Melbourne take on GWS Giants in a match that directly clashes with the on-track action at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. The match kicks off at 3:20pm, while the race is due to start at 3pm.
Head to the Ultimate Motorsport Dinner
On Friday March 14, a special dinner will be put on at the Palladium at Crown. Billed as the ‘Ultimate Motorsport Dinner’, this event has previously featured guest appearances from a range of Formula 1 personalities, including World Champions and Alan Jones and Damon Hill, plus former driver David Coulthard and Supercars legend Mark Winterbottom.
A two-course dinner and beverages – champagne, beer and wine – is included. Tickets are currently sold out via Formula 1’s official ticket package partner, F1 Experiences.
The Reserve Drivers Podcast Live
Tim McDonald and Luke Rocca host a special live version of their F1 comedy podcast The Reserve Drivers at the Corner Hotel in Richmond on Tuesday March 11. Tickets are priced at $40.
All Aboard For a Glitzy Afterparty
Bringing a slice of Monaco to Melbourne, MISCHIEF – the largest commercial superyacht in Australia – will be host to a glamorous post-racing afterparty in Docklands. Fresh from its $15,000,000 refit, party goers can celebrate Grand Prix weekend on the yacht from 7pm to 1am. Tickets are priced at $1,500 per person.
Head to the Williams Racing Fan Zone
Although yet to be confirmed for 2025, the past few seasons have seen the Williams F1 team host a pop-up Fan Zone in Melbourne in the week before the Australian Grand Prix. The event featured appearances from current Williams drivers, plus the chance to get up close to the team’s show cars. There was also the opportunity to try your hand at racing on Esports simulator rigs and test your reflexes times with a Batak reaction time machine.
Last year, the event took place at The Atrium at Fed Square. Details for 2025 have not yet been announced. Check the Williams F1 website for updates.
Who’s Performing During 2025 Australian Grand Prix Week?
Melbourne has a thriving live music scene and there are plenty of concerts taking place in the lead up to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. perform at Palace Foreshore in St Kilda on Monday March 10, British rockers Kasabian play two nights at Forum Melbourne on March 11-12, while Cigarettes After Sex bring their world tour to the Rod Layer Arena for two shows on March 11 and March 12.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria will play host to a series of concerts across race week. A week of Live at The Gardens performances includes a DJ set from Groove Armada on March 9, Boy & Bear on March 14 and Lake Street Dive on March 15.
In Melbourne after the race weekend? Dua Lipa kicks off her 2025 Radical Optimism tour with five nights at the Rod Laver Arena, beginning on Monday March 17.
Phillip Island and Adelaide Motorsport Festivals
If you’re in Australia the week before the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, take the two hour drive south to the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit, where the annual Phillip Island Classic will be taking place. This three-day festival of motorsport will showcase over 400 historic racing cars from various categories. This is an all-access event, where you can get up close to the cars and talk to the drivers. Tickets are priced from $30.
If classic cars are your thing, and you’re elsewhere in Australia ahead of the Grand Prix, the Adelaide Motorsport Festival takes place on March 8-9. Cars on show this year include the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 F1 car, the Jaguar R2 and the Brabham BT59. Damon Hill, Valtteri Bottas, Guenther Steiner and Alan Jones are among the motorsport stars who will be in attendance. Tickets are on sale now. Read about our visit to the event in 2024.
Head to Sydney for the Race of Champions
And that’s not the only racing action taking place in Australia the weekend before the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. Further afield, the Race of Champions is set to take place in Sydney on March 7-8 and will feature the likes of former F1 drivers Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and David Coulthard competing for the Champion of Champions title. If you happen to be in Sydney, tickets for the event are still available.
What’s Happening at the Track on 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend?
Of course, the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park will be the heart of the action over the 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend. In addition to the on-track F1 action, feeder series F2 and F3 will also be racing, with the popular Australian Supercars series and the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia also due to make appearances.
The Crown Lakeside Festival is the place to be for entertainment at the track when the racing action has finished. As well as hosting fan forums and interviews the F1 drivers, the main stage will also play host to a number of music acts across the race weekend. Fatboy Slim is set to headline, with further appearances from the likes of The Living End and Tones and I.
All you need to know about watching the race trackside – including gate opening times, access points, on-track schedules, prohibited items and more – can be found on our updated Trackside page.
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