Perth Festival 2025: Art, Culture & Revelry on the Edge of the World

Picture this: A balmy summer night, the air humming with possibility. The scent of eucalyptus and salt drifts through the streets as you move through a city on the cusp of artistic combustion. This is Perth Festival 2025—a heady collision of story, sound, and spectacle, running from 7th February to 2nd March, transforming Australia’s most remote capital into a cultural mecca.

As the country’s longest-running multi-arts festival, it redefines Perth each summer with world-class performances, music, film, visual arts, and literary events—all unfolding on Noongar Boodjar along the Derbarl Yerrigan.

Now, under the bold vision of Artistic Director Anna Reece, the festival enters an electrifying new era. A fearless creative force, she has shaped some of Perth’s most unforgettable cultural moments—The Giants, Boorna Waanginy, Highway to Hell. This year, she pushes the boundaries further, championing First Nations voices and global perspectives in a festival that promises to be as ambitious as it is transformative.

Over the next 24 days, audiences can explore 104 events—64 of them free—featuring more than 380 artists, including 143 international talents and 173 local West Australian creatives. To help you navigate the festival, we’ve handpicked a few standout highlights (though you’d be hard-pressed to go wrong with any of them). The lights are on, Perth—who’s coming?

Perth Festival: A New Precinct

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An icon reawakens. The East Perth Power Station—once dormant, now the beating heart of Perth Festival’s most electric nights. Casa Musica is your sun-drenched Southern European-style piazza, where free global beats, Mediterranean feasts, and flowing drinks create the ultimate summer vibe.

But the real magic happens after dark. The station’s walls ignite with Boorloo Contemporary, a powerful First Nations art commission, while a hidden stage throbs with experimental, electronic, and euphoric live music. History and hedonism collide in this reanimated icon—whether you’re here to dance, drink, or disappear into the art, this is where the night begins.

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

Perth Festival: Music

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Casa Musica

Soak in a sonic sundowner at East Perth Power Station as Casa Musica brings the sounds of the Indian Ocean rim and beyond. Inspired by Europe’s bustling piazzas, this free music hub invites you to dance, feast, or simply people-watch by the river. Opening with RTRFM’s Jamdown Vershun, the lineup features Emily Wurramara, Réunion Island’s Lindigo, South Africa’s The Joy, and more. From reggae to roots, it’s a world tour—no passport needed, just good vibes.

Free event

7th February to 2nd March, Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 8pm

East Perth Power Station

Tami Neilson

Tami Neilson isn’t just a country-soul star—she’s a powerhouse. Raised on stage, held in Roy Orbison’s arms as a baby, and opening for Johnny Cash at 18, she’s carved out a solo career dripping in raw emotion and rockabilly swagger. Kingmaker is country at its most potent—soul-stirring, razor-sharp, and impossible to resist. For two nights, The Embassy will swell with her sonorous voice and the warm strings of Flamingo Strings. Sit back, soak it in—this is music at its most epic.

$69

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th February

Doors open 7pm, with show starting 8pm

Perth Town Hall, 601 Hay Street, Koorari / Perth CBD

Nils Frahm (Music For Perth)

German pianist, composer, and producer Nils Frahm blurs the lines between classical and electronic music, crafting hypnotic soundscapes that are both intricate and danceable. For two unforgettable nights, he brings his legendary live show to the Power Station, moving seamlessly between instruments to create an immersive sonic journey. His ambient textures and atmospheric electronica have captivated audiences worldwide. Adding to the magic, acclaimed vocalist and composer Ganavya will weave soulful melodies into the night, making this an unmissable fusion of sound, emotion, and pure musical alchemy.

$89 to $109

Wednesday 26th to Thursday 27th February

Doors 7.30pm

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey isn’t just a musician—she’s a force of nature. Under the open sky at Kings Park, her voice will cut through the night like a blade, raw and electrifying. From her haunting 2023 album I Inside the Old Year Dying to career-defining anthems, this is a rare chance to witness an icon in her element. Grab a picnic, go VIP, and let PJ Harvey remind you what live music is all about—pure, unfiltered, unforgettable.

$132 to $244

Tuesday 4th March

Gates open 5pm

Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, Perth

C.FRIM with HiTech & nasthug

C.FRIM is a dancefloor architect, a sonic hurricane whipping together rap, afrobeat, dancehall, grime, house, and techno into something urgent, electrifying, and deeply nostalgic. Her Boiler Room set? Legendary—heavy wubs, slick rewinds, pure energy. Now, she’s headlining, and you’d be a fool to miss it.

She’s joined by HiTech, the Detroit trio reviving chaotic, sweat-soaked club culture with raw ghetto-tech, house, and hip-hop, and Tokyo’s nasthug, whose seamless fusion of hip-hop, afrobeat, and Jersey club has made her a global name. This is the Perth Festival party you need to be at.

$49 to $69

Saturday 15th February

Doors 7.30pm

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

Migrating Bird

Migrating Bird is a love letter to the land, a musical communion with nature. Violinist Véronique Serret, a restless gypsy spirit, steps into new territory—her voice, raw and unfiltered, soaring alongside strings. Inspired by months spent in the stillness of Mount Coot-tha, this album is a meditation, a conversation, a gift.

Joined by the incomparable William Barton on yidaki, this is music that moves like wind through trees—hypnotic, haunting, and deeply human. Close your eyes. Listen deeply. Let the land speak.

$49

Wednesday 19th February

Doors open 7pm, starts 8pm

Perth Town Hall, 601 Hay Street, Koorari / Perth CBD

Water Song: Sunny Kim’s Ensemble Ochaye

A sonic deep dive into the essence of water. Water Song is more than music. It’s a living, breathing force, shaped by the cultures and histories that revere it. Led by Sunny Kim, Ensemble Ochaye crafts a hypnotic soundscape where Korean, Chinese, Iranian, and Western instruments entwine in a symphony of ebb and flow. From whispers to torrents, this performance channels water’s mystery, power, and spirit—connecting worlds, bridging past and present. Lose yourself in sound that ripples, surges, and soars.

$49

Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th February

Doors open 7pm, starts 8pm

Perth Town Hall, 601 Hay Street, Koorari / Perth CBD

Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C. are on the brink of supernova. Dublin’s finest, led by the magnetic Grian Chatten, bring their raw energy and razor-sharp lyricism to Perth Festival for one night only. Their live show? Intense, electric, unforgettable.

With festival headline slots, UK chart domination, and Mercury Prize and Grammy nods under their belt, they now arrive with Romance—their boldest, most expansive record yet. Grit meets grandeur as their punk roots collide with grunge, electronica, and hypnotic shoegaze. This is Fontaines D.C. at their most fearless.

Joining them: UK post-punk powerhouse, Shame.

$109

Thursday 27th February

Doors 7:30pm

Red Hill Auditorium, 2 Toodyay Road, Red Hill 

Emily Wurramara

Let Emily Wurramara’s soulful voice and magnetic presence take you on a journey of culture, connection, and song. With warmth and authenticity, she weaves stories in both English and Anindilyakwa, celebrating her heritage through music that uplifts and empowers.

From the breakout Black Smoke EP to her latest album, Emily has carved a place in Australia’s blues and roots scene, bringing ancient language to new ears with grace and power. Joined by her incredible band, she delivers a free show at Perth Festival that’s a heartfelt gathering of music, spirit, and community.

Free

Thursday 13th February

Doors from 5pm

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

Kankawa Nagarra

Kankawa Nagarra, the Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta, brings her powerful voice and extraordinary life story to Perth Festival. From the red sands of the Kimberley to the bright lights of Broadway, her journey is one of resilience, music, and activism.

Born into a nomadic desert life, she survived station slavery, became a fierce advocate for human rights, and toured the world alongside Hugh Jackman. Now, with songs in Walmatjarri, Bunaba, Gooniyandi, and English, she shares the soul-stirring blues, country, and gospel of her Wirlmarni album in a riverside concert like no other.

Free event

Saturday 1st March

Doors from 5pm

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos

Peter Garrett. A voice, a force, a fire that never fades. The Midnight Oil frontman, activist, and one-time politician is back where he belongs—on stage, speaking truth through music. With his band The Alter Egos (including Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey), he’ll tear through The True North, a soaring, soul-deep love letter to Australia’s landscapes, alongside iconic Oils anthems. Expect passion. Expect power. Expect a night that shakes you to your core. Opening the show, Maatakitj fuses electrified desert blues with pulsating dance beats. This is music with purpose.

$89 to $109

Friday 28th February

Doors 7:30pm

East Perth Power Station, 11 Summers Street, Warndoolier / East Perth

Astral Weeks Sessions

Perth’s best-kept secret for music lovers. Hidden down an alleyway in Northbridge’s Chinatown Precinct, Astral Weeks is a listening bar built for true audiophiles—low lights, crisp vinyl, and a vibe straight out of Tokyo.

For a handful of lucky fans, Perth Festival is unlocking a series of ultra-intimate gigs and talks here, featuring surprise guest artists spinning their favourite records or stripping things back for a raw, acoustic set. No setlists. No spoilers. Just music magic!

Spots are ultra-limited—roll the dice and discover something unforgettable.

$38

Tuesday 25th and Thursday 27th February, 7pm

Astral Weeks, Shop 12, 60-66 Roe Street, Perth, Yandilup / Northbridge

Perth Festival: Theatre & Dance

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Mahabharata

A 4,000-year-old epic gets a bold, breathtaking remix. Mahabharata is myth, dynasty, war, and vengeance—like The Odyssey meets Succession, but drenched in classical Indian music, hypnotic dance, and a pulse-pounding live score. A global South Asian cast brings this legendary tale to life in two electrifying parts: Karma (rivalry, ambition, chaos) and Dharma (battle, destiny, destruction). See them separately or dive into the full experience, complete with a traditional Indian feast and storytelling session. This is history, spectacle, and raw human drama—all in one unforgettable night. Don’t miss it.

$49 to $99

8th to 16th February

Part I: Karma: Saturday and Sunday, 2:30pm, Tuesday 7.30pm

Part II: Dharma: Saturday and Sunday 8pm, Friday 7:30pm

His Majesty’s Theatre, 827-905 Hay Street, Perth 

12 Last Songs

30 workers. 12 hours. One city. 12 Last Songs is a living, breathing portrait of Perth—its people, its labour, its pulse. For one epic performance, from midday to midnight, everyday workers take the stage to do what they do best. A barista pours a coffee. A nail tech perfects a set. A FIFO worker, sex worker, or shark spotter shares their world. Part performance, part social experiment, this acclaimed UK production by Quarantine is raw, unscripted, and deeply human. Drop in, stay awhile, and see Perth through the hands that build it.

This is a Pay-What-You-Can event; minimum $5, with a suggested price of $29

Sat 15th February, 12pm (duration 12 hours)

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street, Perth 

Perth Moves: Manifest by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & STRUT Dance

Perth, get ready—this one’s big. In an Australian first, world-renowned choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui lands in Forrest Place with Manifest, a raw, hypnotic dance spectacle that flips the city on its head. Inspired by Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance, this electrifying work sees 12 local dancers move in harmony with a ‘silent choir’ of 50 community voices, all pulsing to a haunting live score. It’s free. It’s powerful. It’s movement as protest, art, and pure energy.

Free event

18th to 20th February

Tuesday to Thursday, 8pm

Forrest Place, Perth 

Larsen C

A glacier in motion, slow and unstoppable. Larsen C transforms human bodies into an ice shelf—shifting, vibrating, and evolving in hypnotic unison. Inspired by Antarctica’s ancient, 10,000-year-old Larsen C glacier, this breathtaking work by Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos explores the invisible forces shaping our world.

Dancers move as one, pulsing with the rhythm of deep time, as lighting, sound, and set blur into a mesmerising, dreamlike landscape. A meditation on movement, change, and the eeriness of a world in flux. Watch closely. Feel immensely.

$59 to $79

20th to 22nd February

Thursday and Friday, 7:30pm, Saturday, 2pm and 7:30pm

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street, Perth 

The Wild Between Stars: Ballet at the Quarry

Ballet under the stars. A Perth summer essential. At the Quarry Amphitheatre, dance meets the elements in a breathtaking fusion of movement, music, and landscape. This year, Ballet at the Quarry unveils three world premieres—works that pulse with the energy of land, sky, and story.

From Loughlan Prior’s celestial The Wild Between Stars to Tara Gower’s deeply rooted Ripples, honouring saltwater and identity, and Lucas Jervies’ soaring take on Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto—each piece is a journey.

Bring a picnic, sink into the warm night, and let the magic unfold. An unmissable Perth festival event.

$79 to $109

Until 1st March

Tuesday to Saturday, gates open 6:30pm, starts 8pm

Quarry Amphitheatre, 1 Waldron Drive, City Beach

LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches)

A funeral. A vigil. A trip to the underworld. Best mates Joe and Merlynn are up all night at a Chinese funeral, but the real chaos begins when the lords of the underworld decide to get involved. One clings to ritual, the other calls it superstition—neither is ready for what’s coming.

Dragged beyond the grave, they face childhood gods, underworld demons, and the messy tangle of culture, identity, and friendship. LEGENDS is wild, hilarious, and deeply personal—an explosive ride through hell like you’ve never seen before. Buckle up.

$49

21st to 24th February, various times

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street, Perth

Is This A Room 

A real-life thriller, staged word for word. In June 2017, 25-year-old Air Force linguist Reality Winner answers the door to armed FBI agents. They’re investigating a leak—classified documents proving Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. She lets them in. They chat. But soon, the walls close in.

Is This A Room brings the official FBI transcript to life on stage, a chilling, high-stakes interrogation unfolding in real time. Tension crackles as power shifts, words become weapons, and Reality’s world shrinks. A gripping, unnerving drama that will leave you breathless.

$69

14th to 17th February, various times

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street, Perth 

Night Night

A live film unfolds before your eyes—crafted in real time with puppets, animation, and DIY digital wizardry. From the award-winning minds behind Lé Nør [The Rain] and Alvin Sputnik, Night Night is a heartwarming, mind-bending adventure through life, death, and the great beyond. Follow Pip, an Antarctic scientist plagued by visions of an albino penguin. Her search for answers leads to a mysterious, glowing entity and a reality-shattering discovery.

Watch as the magic happens—both on screen and behind the scenes. A cinematic spectacle you’ll never want to end.

$49

26th February to 2nd March

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street, Perth 

Perth Festival: Film

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Samsara: A Cine-Concert

A fever dream of film, folklore, and pulsing beats—Samsara: A Cine-Concert is a one-night-only collision of silent cinema, Balinese mysticism, and live music. Directed by Garin Nugroho, this hypnotic tale of desire and consequence unfolds with gamelan, shadow puppetry, and Gabber Modus Operandi’s electrifying sound. Forget reality—this is storytelling at full throttle.

$39 to $84

Friday 21st February, 8pm

Her Majesty’s Theatre, 827-905 Hay Street, Perth

Bob Trevino Likes It

A heartwarming, offbeat gem, Bob Trevino Likes It is a love letter to the unexpected connections that change everything. When Lily mistakes Bob for her absent father online, an unlikely friendship sparks, pushing them both toward self-discovery. With electric chemistry between Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo, this SXSW winner is pure cinematic joy.

Mon 24th to Sunday 30th March

$22, with 2-for-1 Tuesdays: get two tickets for $22

Somerville Auditorium, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 

Cine Wonders

This January, Perth Festival is teaming up with Luna Palace to bring the magic of Lotterywest Films to little cinephiles (and the young at heart). Cine Wonders is a spellbinding school holiday adventure, featuring world-class children’s cinema—from climate-conscious docs (Future Council) to Aussie-first Indigenous animation (The Lost Tiger).

$17 to $20

Family Pack $60.00 (x2 Adults, x2 Children) or (1x Adult, 3 Children)

Until Sunday 19th January

Luna on SX & Windsor Cinema Nedlands

Perth Festival: Special Events & Free Events

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Karla Bidi

Karla Bidi (Fire Trail) is a beacon, a campfire, an open invitation. A signal that we are here, that you are welcome, and that this festival is for you.

Follow the trail of sculptural beacons lining the Derbarl Yerrigan—from the hills of Guildford to the sea at Walyalup. Each large-scale installation is paired with a hypnotic soundscape, inviting you to pause, reflect, and connect.

For generations, fires have burned along these riverbanks—welcoming, guiding, and gathering people together. Karla Bidi continues this tradition, honouring Noongar Country in a way that is free and for all.

Sunday 16th February, 7:45pm, Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd February, 7:35pm, Monday 24th February to Sunday 2nd March, 7:30pm

Find Karla Bidi locations here

Scratch Night

Come together and witness the beginning of something new. Up Late at The Embassy—our late-night artist club—is home to Scratch Night, where fresh ideas take the stage.

Two nights, six performers, ten minutes each—anything can happen. Inspired by Perth’s indie champions, The Blue Room Theatre, this Festival-first invites a bold mix of Western Australian artists to present unpolished works across all genres.

Unconventional, collaborative, and wildly creative, Scratch Night is a laidback variety show where artists experiment, test, and play. Guided by our joyful host and performance advisor, Adriano Cappelletta, this is where the next big thing just might begin.

Free event

Sunday 16th and Sunday 23rd February, from 10pm

Perth Town Hall, 601 Hay Street, Koorari / Perth CBD

Free Events

Bring the family and settle in with a picnic at Riverside Gardens for a euphoric evening of Orchestra-oke, or venture further west to Scarborough Beach for Indian Ocean Sounds, where South African group The Joy and Réunion Island’s Lindigo delight with harmonies, soul and traditional dance. 

Perth Festival 2025 invites you to experience bold stories, unforgettable performances, and transformative moments—join in as the city comes alive. For more brilliant things to do in and around the city, check out our guides to the best day trips and local beaches.