Melbourne sits on top of world as Time Out's No. 1 Best City

Melbourne is literally on top of the world, topping the Time Out Magazine’s annual list of Best Cities, nudging out global powerhouses Shanghai, Edinburgh, London and New York (rounding out the top 5).

As the first and only Australian city to take out the top spot, this is a testament to our roll call of major events, culture, hospitality and sense of community.

From our enviable world class sporting events to mega music shows, tourist attractions to hidden laneways, there’s something for everyone.

Enviable events

Melbourne’s packed calendar of events not only entertains and supports Victorians year-round, but it also attracts interstate and overseas visitors. It's generating $3.3 billion a year to the state’s economy.

And this figure is set to be topped with Melbourne being the only city in the world to host:

• a Grand Slam
• Formula 1 Grand Prix
• the first ever NFL game in Australia.

Three months into the year:

• attendance records at the Australian Open and Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix have already been broken
• more than 1.3 million people packed into Melbourne Park over 3 weeks of tennis and entertainment
• more than 480,000 people flocked to Albert Park for the race, fan zones and Lakeside Festival.

And we're expecting more visitors, with other major events still to come, such as:

• International Comedy Festival
• AFL Grand Final
• Spring Racing Carnival
• Boxing Day Test match.

These events will inject more than $40 billion dollars (highest in the nation) into our economy by the end of the year.

Sport and active recreation are part of our lives

We don’t just love watching sport, we love playing it and getting involved in the local community. That’s why we’ve invested more than $2.4 billion in community sport and recreation infrastructure in the past decade.

Investment in sport and recreation are all about creating jobs, stimulating local economies, levelling the playing field and improving health, wellbeing and social outcomes for our communities.

With more than 3.6 million Victorians regularly participating in sport and active recreation, endless options in entertainment and food, and more than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs generated through tourism and major events, no wonder we’re crowned the best city in the world.

Melbourne, we are simply the best.

View the 50 Best Cities in the World in 2026 on Time Out's website.