Melbourne nightlife starts in a laneway bar and ends wherever the licence allows. Many CBD cocktail bars close at 01:00, a few rooms stay open until 03:00, and the late clubs run to 05:00, 07:00 or, at Revolver Upstairs, Monday morning. The live music pubs of Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond and Northcote put on bands most nights, often with free entry, while Prahran and South Yarra hold the all-weekend clubs. Club entry is usually A$15–40 (€9–25), and a pint costs A$10–14 (€6.30–8.80). Worth knowing: the Night Network runs all night on Friday and Saturday only, so book a rideshare for any other night.
Ranked by popularity. Tap a card for opening hours, door tips, getting there and tickets.
For the drinks before and after. Hours, prices and the best nights are on each page.
Melbourne goes out in layers, and the layers start early. A drink in a CBD laneway, a band in a Fitzroy or Collingwood pub, then a club after midnight. Many cocktail bars shut at 01:00, so the late part of the night is a different set of rooms.
Live music is the backbone, not a side order. The Tote, The Old Bar, Northcote Social Club, the Corner Hotel and The Espy run gigs most nights, and several have free entry. The Old Bar lists bands every night from 15:00 until 03:00.
The clubs are small, loud and built around sound. Sub Club is a bank vault with a 10,000-watt system, Solace holds 250 people and Wax Music Lounge 175. Revolver Upstairs is the exception: it runs from Friday night to Monday morning.
The Tote, The Old Bar, the Corner Hotel and Northcote Social Club have bands most nights, and some gigs are free.
Caretaker's Cottage ranked 45th in The World's 50 Best Bars 2026, and Apollo Inn, 1806 and Black Pearl are on Time Out's September 2026 list.
Sub Club, Solace, Angel Music Bar and Brown Alley run electronic nights, and Revolver Upstairs covers the long weekend.
Poof Doof runs on Saturdays at Chasers in South Yarra, and Midsumma runs from 17 January to 7 February 2027.
Angel Music Bar and the Toff in Town stay open to 05:00 at weekends, and Sub Club and Revolver Upstairs go later.
The Tote lists free-entry gigs, The Old Bar has a free gig every Monday, and both run happy hours.
Not for you if you want a single nightlife strip. Venues are spread over eight suburbs, and most cocktail bars close at 01:00.
Laneway bars open. Caretaker's Cottage opens at 16:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, and Gin Palace opens at 16:00 every day.
Happy hours end. The Corner Hotel's Front Bar runs 16:00 to 19:00 from Tuesday to Friday, and The Old Bar's runs until 20:00. Bands start through the evening.
The first club doors open. Sub Club's weekend hours start at 22:00, and OneSixOne listed doors from 22:00 for a recent Friday.
Many CBD bars stop serving: Caretaker's Cottage, Apollo Inn, Union Electric Bar and 1806. The night moves to Gin Palace, Heartbreaker, Black Pearl or a club.
Gin Palace, Black Pearl, Heartbreaker and The Old Bar close. The Tote and The Espy stop on Friday and Saturday, and Solace's licence ends.
Angel Music Bar closes on Friday and Saturday, and the Toff's bar and kitchen follow at weekends. Sub Club runs on to 07:00.
Caretaker's Cottage ranked 45th in 2026 and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 16:00 to 01:00. The bar is tiny, so go early and in a small group.
Bands play every night between 15:00 and 03:00 on Johnston Street in Fitzroy, and Monday's gig is free.
Sub Club sits in a former ANZ vault off Flinders Lane, with a 10,000-watt system and weekend hours listed as 22:00 to 07:00.
A sale listing describes Revolver Upstairs running from Friday night to Monday 09:00, with a short break on Saturday morning.
Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday across Victoria on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The race is a day event, and The Espy lists a Cup Day event.
The queer festival runs from 17 January to 7 February 2027, with the Pride March on Sunday 31 January.
Caretaker's Cottage, Apollo Inn, 1806, Gin Palace and Heartbreaker for drinks, and Sub Club, Solace, Angel Music Bar, Wax Music Lounge and Brown Alley for dancing. Many bars close at 01:00.
Black Pearl on Brunswick Street, then The Old Bar, The Night Cat and Bar Liberty on Johnston Street. Black Pearl and The Old Bar stay open until 03:00.
The Tote on Johnston Street and New Guernica on Smith Street. The former Gasometer reopened as Smith St Hotel in July 2026.
My Aeon for psytrance and techno and Howler for bands and a garden bar. Tram 19 runs along Sydney Road and is a Night Network route.
The Corner Hotel has a rooftop bar, a front bar with DJs and a standing-room band room.
Revolver Upstairs and OneSixOne are in Prahran, and Poof Doof runs on Saturdays at Chasers on Chapel Street.
A five-floor pub on the foreshore with the Gershwin Room and Basement for gigs, open until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday.
Northcote Social Club for gigs and High Note for records and cocktails. Tram 86 runs along High Street.
Take photo ID every time: a passport or driver licence. Venues check at the door and sometimes at the bar, and Heartbreaker is listed with strict checks. Staff must refuse anyone who is drunk. Dress is relaxed, but many clubs refuse thongs, singlets and sports shorts, and Eau De Vie asks for smart casual and 18+.
Club nights cost about A$15–40 (€9–25), more for touring DJs. Many pub gigs are free, The Old Bar's Monday gig is free, and the Corner Hotel's Saturday Front Bar sets run from 16:00 to 17:00 without a ticket. Larger nights sell on Resident Advisor, Moshtix and Oztix.
The Night Network runs on Friday and Saturday nights: hourly trains on most lines, tram routes 19, 67, 75, 86, 96 and 109 every 30 minutes, and 21 night bus services. Check the PTV timetable before you rely on a line. Public transport is half price until 1 January 2027, with a daily cap of A$5.70 on weekdays and A$4.00 at weekends (€3.60 and €2.50). Uber and DiDi work everywhere and surge late. Drinking on public transport is banned in Victoria.
| Club entry | about A$15–40 (€9–25) |
| Schooner or pint of beer | A$10–14 (€6.30–8.80) |
| Cocktail | about A$20–28 (€12.50–17.50) |
| Public transport, daily cap | A$5.70 weekday, A$4.00 weekend (€3.60 / €2.50) until 1 Jan 2027 |
| Uber or taxi, 5–10 km late at night | about A$25–50 (€16–31), more at surge prices |
| Late-night kebab, burger or pie | about A$12–20 (€7.50–12.50) |
| Cheap restaurant meal | about A$25 (€16) |
A free gig at The Tote or The Old Bar, two or three pints, a late kebab and a tram home on the daily cap.
A cocktail in the CBD, a ticket to a club or a band room, three more drinks, late food and a rideshare home.
Dinner, several cocktails at Apollo Inn or Eau De Vie, a named club night and a rideshare at surge prices.
Caretaker's Cottage, Apollo Inn, 1806 and Union Electric Bar close around 01:00. Gin Palace, Black Pearl and Heartbreaker run to 03:00.
Apollo Inn has about 30 seats. Eau De Vie takes online reservations for one to 12 guests, with a A$25 per person fee for no-shows within 24 hours.
Contactless Visa, Mastercard, phone or watch works on trams, trains and buses. Inside the CBD and Docklands Free Tram Zone you do not touch on at all.
Sub Club, Solace, Angel Music Bar, Brown Alley and New Guernica list nights there. Hours vary by event, so read the listing.
The Night Network trams are 19 (Sydney Road), 86 (Collingwood and Northcote), 96 (Fitzroy to St Kilda), 75 (Richmond), 67 and 109. Chapel Street's route 78 is not one of them.
The legal drinking age is 18 across Australia, and bars check. Heartbreaker is listed with strict ID checks.
A 2014 crowdfunding campaign paid to soundproof the rock bar. It left AC/DC Lane after 20 years and moved to Little Collins Street in 2019.
The basement club in Flinders Court occupies the old ANZ bank vault and runs a 10,000-watt sound system.
It started on 1 January 2016 as a 12-month trial and became permanent in April 2017. Six tram routes run every 30 minutes.
The former Gasometer Hotel on Smith Street reopened in July 2026 with chef Scott Pickett and a live music room.
It depends on the licence. Pubs and many bars close between 01:00 and 03:00, and Solace's licence ends at 03:00. Angel Music Bar listed 05:00 on Friday and Saturday, Sub Club 07:00, and Revolver Upstairs runs to Monday morning. In Victoria a late night licence is needed to trade after 1 am, and hours are set venue by venue.
Fitzroy and Collingwood for bars and live music, the CBD laneways for cocktail bars and small clubs, and Prahran and South Yarra for the late clubs.
On Friday and Saturday nights, yes. The Night Network runs hourly trains on most lines, six tram routes every 30 minutes and 21 night bus services. On other nights trams stop around midnight, so use Uber or DiDi.
About A$65 (€40) for a cheap night, A$135 (€85) for a normal one and A$260 (€160) or more for a big night. Club entry is about A$15–40, and a pint A$10–14.
The legal drinking age is 18. Take a passport or driver licence, because venues check at the door and sometimes at the bar.
Cup Day is a public holiday across Victoria on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The race is a day event, and pubs such as The Espy list Cup Day events.
See which clubs and bars are open right now, who is playing and where to get tickets. Live in four cities, with more on the way.
