13/03/2021 @ 7:00 pm - 10:30 pm The newest local theatre company on the block, LadderFrame Theatre, is excited to show it's well received original show - Big Women. Under the guise of creative director Zara Wilson-Boyle and music director Chiara Angeli, the show has been constructed using influences of Physical Theatre and Verbatim Theatre; its script composed of real words spoken…
18/03/2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm The search is on for Australia’s funniest teens! This event is your opportunity to be in the live audience at the Ballarat Heat of Class Clowns, and to see some up-and-coming comedians perfect their craft! Melbourne International Comedy Festival's one-of-a-kind national comedy competition for young people is now happening. Class Clowns aims to inspire, engage…
28/03/2021 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Keep The Circle Unbroken features an incredible line-up of Australian musicians performing on a new album of the same name. Keep The Circle Unbroken is a series of concerts to be presented across Victoria's iconic regional towns this March featuring an incredible line-up of Australian musicians spanning two generations performing songs inspired by the Nitty…
01/05/2021 @ 6:00 pm - 11:30 pm Rock Ballarat brings the best of Australia's Burlesque Elite to the stage with the wonderful, witty, wine-loving Tash York as your MC for the evening. Tash will lead you through a night of fabulous performances by the amazing collective of Kitty Obsidian, Dolores Daiquiri, Azcadelia Ferri Maya and Rosie Roulette. You will be enchanted, teased…
08/05/2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm A host and four suspects will guide party guests through a murder mystery based on Ballarat’s shady past while a 3 course meal is served. The Peculiar Demise of William Bailey Located in the elegant Humffray Room at the historic Ballaarat Mechanics Institute, party guests can dress up in 1870’s costume or modern-day cocktail attire. The…
09/05/2021 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm A harrowing journey across a harsh land filled with bushrangers, wilderness, and unscrupulous characters.Join our rag tag team of travellers as they embark on a perilous journey from across the globe to make their fortune on the goldfields of 1850s Ballarat.Our diverse group of travellers will face storms at sea and engage in a harrowing…
14/05/2021 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Participate in a suffragette rally and learn the art of suffrajitsu, then, explore Ballarat’s rich heritage of ghostly rituals and hoaxes. Two historical shows with a short interval. Suffrajitsu - See a suffragette rally and a Victorian Women’s self defence display of suffrajitsu, the noble art of self defence for women. Playing the Ghost -…
15/05/2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Old Fashioned Entertainment for Modern Audiences Red Mill Revue! is a Celebration of the human form in all its variations. Our Multi-disciplinary performers combine Burlesque, Dance, Vaudeville, Tease, Comedy, Cabaret and Music into a high energy Variety show that’s fun for everyone. You get a whole seat, but you'll only need the front - that's…
21/05/2021 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Lecture and Magic Performance for men and women whose interests lie in history and superstition. Two historical shows with a short interval. The Witching Hour Have you found anything usual while renovating your house? Join Historian Dr David Waldron and Historian/Magician Dr Jo Clyne as they present the findings in a part Victorian era style…
22/05/2021 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Welcome to the Victorian Pinup Pageant which is the first in a series of Pinup Pageants around Australia leading to the first Australian Pinup Pageant. A performance based presentation celebrating all aspects of vintage & retro nostalgia. Categories: Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Glamourbilly, Geekabilly & a Coupleobillys. Who will win "The Victorian Pinup Pageant" 2021?
15/05/2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Old Fashioned Entertainment for Modern Audiences Red Mill Revue! is a Celebration of the human form in all its variations. Our Multi-disciplinary performers combine Burlesque, Dance, Vaudeville, Tease, Comedy, Cabaret and Music into a high energy Variety show that’s fun for everyone. You get a whole seat, but you'll only need the front - that's…
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
Linen & Lace Exhbition
Includes Devonshire Tea | $20
Sat & Sun 22, 23 Oct
10am-4pm
Remembrance Day:
A Surgeon Commander & A Leading Cook - Recent War Memoribilia
Wed 29 Oct & 5 Nov, 5.30pm.
Coming soon…
Rozzi Bazzani. Stella Day Out: Katia Ariel & Samah Sabawi, Rachael Johns
Coming soon…
Dianne Dempsey, Chrissie Bellbrae, Paula Gleeson, Rozzi Bazzani.
Coming in November…
Stella Day Out, Ballarat, Rachael Johns & Margaret Hickey
Australian Heritage Festival
Minerva's Secrets
25 April – Tour 1 at 7.30pm – fully booked
Tour 2 at 9.30pm – still tickets.
Spring Season, History Talks:
Ballarat's Henry Lawson - The Dragon's Den - Gold! Gold! Gold!
Wed 3, 17 & 24 September, 5.30pm.
Bubbly on arrival & Featuring quality items from our Vintage Shop | $60
The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute 2026 Calendar
Featuring illustrations from our Heritage Book Collection $40
Your gift will be tax-deductible this financial year if you make it before June 30.
Like many organisations the BMI faces significant funding challenges.
2 course dinner & lots
of dancing
