Melbourne's always-adventurous festival Now or Never is back, transforming the city into an 11-day playground of art, sound and ideas.
Think you know Melbourne? Think again. The City of Melbourne’s groundbreaking cultural experiment Now or Never returns this August with its most ambitious program yet, proving that winter in our city doesn’t mean hibernation – it means transformation.
Over 285 local and international artists will take over iconic venues from Thursday 21 to Sunday 31 August, turning familiar spaces into portals of possibility.
This isn’t your average festival lineup. Now or Never 2025 features over 140 events spanning boundary-pushing installations, mind-bending electronic music, intimate dining experiences and conversations that’ll rewire your worldview. The festival also proudly returns as a certified carbon-neutral event, showing that cutting-edge culture and environmental responsibility can dance together.
Now or Never 2025
- Where: City-wide, Melbourne
- When: Thursday 21 to Sunday 31 August
- Events: 140+ free and ticketed experiences
- Artists: 285+ local and international creatives
- Pre-sale: Thursday 19 June, 12pm
- General sale: Monday 23 June, 12pm
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
Music that moves minds and bodies
- Laurel Halo live with Leila Bordreuil – Friday 22 August, Melbourne Recital Centre
- Moritz Von Oswald presents Silencio – Thursday 28 August, Melbourne Recital Centre
- Ryoji Ikeda Ultratronics / CORIN presents DIWA – Thursday 28 August, Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets here.
- Alex Zhang Hungtai x MATRIA – Thursday 28 August, Royal Exhibition Building. Tickets here
- DJ Python / DJ Plead B2B rRoxymore / Yarra – Friday 29 August, Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets here
- Logic1000 / Young Marco / Big Ever – Saturday 30 August, Melbourne Town Hall
- Marie Davidson / OK EG – Sunday 31 August, Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets here
- rRoxymore x MATRIA – Friday 22 August, Royal Exhibition Building
Melbourne Town Hall becomes electronic music central with four nights of genre-defying performances. Québécois techno-pop icon Marie Davidson brings her acerbic wit and thunderous intensity, while Japanese visual artist Ryoji Ikeda presents the Australian premiere of ultratronics – a meticulously engineered realm where data becomes art. New York’s DJ Python serves deep reggaeton and avant-dembow, Sydney-born Berlin-based DJ Logic1000 delivers emotional house, and Amsterdam’s Young Marco provides euphoric genre-warping sets.
The Royal Exhibition Building hosts intimate performances within MATRIA, a monumental pink inflatable installation. Berlin-based rRoxymore weaves ambient electronica with organic samples, while composer Alex Zhang Hungtai brings saxophone and electronics into dialogue with the breathing architecture.
Melbourne Recital Centre presents two exclusive performances: legendary German producer Moritz von Oswald performing his acclaimed album Silencio with a 16-person choir, and celebrated composer Laurel Halo bringing enigmatic new grand piano works alongside Brooklyn cellist Leila Bordreuil.
Art installations that redefine space
MATRIA transforms the Royal Exhibition Building into a living, breathing organism. Barcelona-based Studio Penique creates this monumental installation – a vast pink inflatable that envelops the historic interior, creating an immersive environment accompanied by soundscapes and performances. The work invites visitors to step inside a cocoon-like space where architecture becomes abstract.
Dutch artist Boris Acket unveils Einder, a 20-metre kinetic light and sound installation featuring flowing textiles within Melbourne Town Hall. The work captures the rhythm of thunderstorms, cycling through growth, maturity and decay in an organic dialogue with the venue’s grandeur.
State Library Victoria’s exterior becomes a canvas for DELIRI, where Barcelona’s Hamill Industries uses artificial intelligence and image distortion to create fluid projections that deconstruct reality. Meanwhile, contemporary artist Dr Christian Thompson AO transforms the Evan Walker Bridge with Burdi Burdi, his largest outdoor sonic installation exploring themes of fire, gold and intergenerational resilience.
Conversations that shape tomorrow
- The Future Of Space – Saturday 23 August, Melbourne Museum
- Charting The Future: First Nations Knowledges and Artificial Intelligence – Tuesday 26 August, The Wheeler Centre
- How To Live Forever – Wednesday 27 August, The Wheeler Centre
- Liz Pelley: Mood Machine – Thursday 28 August, The Wheeler Centre
- I Have Seen The Future With Tim Flannery – Friday 29 August, The Capitol Theatre
- Queer Powerpoint – Friday 29 August, Fed Square
The festival’s talk program tackles urgent questions about our future. Australia’s first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg joins astronomer Dr Tania Hill for The Future of Space, exploring humanity’s next giant leap. Indigenous knowledge meets cutting-edge technology in Charting the Future, where co-authors of The AI Revolution discuss machine learning guided by First Nations wisdom.
Award-winning scientist Tim Flannery explores holding hope amid climate catastrophe in I Have Seen the Future, while neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston examines the radical possibilities of brain preservation in How to Live Forever.
“Now or Never is back – transforming Melbourne into a vibrant hub of creativity, culture and connection,” Lord Mayor Nick Reece said.
“This bold, boundary-pushing festival is a true celebration of Melbourne’s creative spirit – spotlighting local artists, musicians and performers alongside international innovators. This year’s line-up brings together visionary thinkers to spark ideas and offer a rare glimpse into the future.”
“Melbourne isn’t hibernating this winter. With more than 400,000 people expected to take part, Now or Never is not only enriching our cultural scene – it’s also supercharging our 24-hour economy and supporting local businesses.”
For more information, head here.
Beat is a proud media partner of Now or Never.
