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What to See and Do with Kids at St Kilda Festival 2025
The 44th annual St Kilda Festival returns on 15–16 February 2025, bringing a weekend packed with FREE family-friendly entertainment. If you are wondering what to see and do with kids at St Kilda Festival 2025, expect an exciting mix of performances, workshops, and interactive activities designed to keep young festivalgoers engaged. From skateboarding lessons to immersive pop-up installations and live music, the festival precinct will be buzzing with energy.
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Day 1 – First Peoples First
Saturday 15 February 2025
Day 1 celebrates First Peoples culture with a powerful lineup of established and emerging First Peoples artists. From the Main Stage to the Optus Stage at O’Donnell Gardens, experience a day of music, storytelling, and cultural activities honouring the voices and creativity of First Peoples.
Family-friendly highlights:
Ngarga Warendj Cultural Arts
Time: 11 am – 12.15 pm, 12.45 pm – 1.45 pm & 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm
Location: O’Donnell Gardens
Taungurung artist Mick Harding leads a hands-on arts and crafts workshop, offering insight into Indigenous woodworking, sculpture, and printmaking.
Yarn Strong Sista
Time: 11 am
Location: O’Donnell Gardens
Interactive storytelling and arts workshops featuring face painting and First Nations-designed resources, connecting kids with cultural storytelling.
Creed Jewellery Designs Workshops
Time: 11 am – 12 pm, 1 pm – 2 pm & 3 pm – 4 pm
Location: O’Donnell Gardens
Families can craft jewellery using native seeds and emu feathers, explore pyrography on wooden boards, or paint shoes, all with a focus on sustainable, ethical materials.
Afro Dancehall Performance and Workshop
Time: 1 pm
Location: Palais Forecourt
Learn high-energy Afro Dance and Dancehall moves in an interactive workshop led by Melbourne’s top dancers.
Day 2 – Big Festival Sunday
Sunday 16 February 2025
T-shirt Twists and Turns – Upcycled Craft Workshop
Time: 10 am
Location: O’Donnell Gardens
A creative upcycling workshop where kids (ages 6+) can transform old T-shirts into necklaces, tote bags, and accessories.
DJ Dorothy the Dinosaur
Time: 12.15 pm
Location: Optus Stage
An Australian icon, DJ Dorothy the Dinosaur brings an electrifying dance party to St Kilda Festival 2025. Joined by Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus, she remixes beloved classics into high-energy beats, creating a fun-filled experience for all ages.
CLIPPED Karaoke
Time: 1 pm
Location: Palais Forecourt
A live music video experience where kids can sing their favourite songs and see their performances on the big screen.
Future play lab
Time: 11 am
Location: Shakespeare Grove
An interactive urban play experience blending music games, new sports, and creative exploration for all ages and abilities.
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Whistle & Trick
Time: 1.45 pm
Location: Optus Stage
An interactive performance by childhood friends Esther Holt and Maddy Kelly, featuring songs from their ARIA-nominated album Bananas and Other Delicious Things.
Japanese Taiko Drumming
Time: 5 pm
Location: Catani Gardens North
Experience the powerful rhythms of Miyake Taiko with Melbourne’s Taikokoro drumming group, where audiences can join in on the traditional “wasshoi” chant.
YMCA Action Sports – Learn to Skate
Time: 10 am
Location: Triangle Carpark
A fun, inclusive skateboarding session led by experienced instructors, focusing on skill development, safety, and park etiquette.
Discoyoga
Time: 10 am
Location: St Kilda Festival Main Stage
Discoyoga blends yoga with Melbourne’s top DJs, creating an energising mix of movement, dance, and breathe. Since 2015, it’s been a festival favourite—recharging bodies and lifting spirits. Join hundreds of yogis and get ready to move!
Trash Test Dummies Circus
Time: 11.05 am
Location: Optus Stage
Awarded Best Children’s Presentation at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2016, and runners-up for the Children’s Choice Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016, the Trash Test Dummies deliver non-stop laughs and unexpected surprises. This family show transforms the humble wheelie bin into a stage for high-energy antics and clever comedy.
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We try our best to provide accurate information on kid-friendly events around Victoria but do recommend parents check details directly to confirm dates, times, prices as some details may be subject to change.
