Perth city lights up over two magical nights with Illuminate Yagan Square

Perth’s free festival of light, Illuminate Yagan Square, is set to return for its third annual event this year, with installations, live performance and immersive experiences lighting up Yagan Square from Friday, April 17, to Saturday, April 18. 

Presented by DevelopmentWA and delivered by non-profit arts and cultural organisation FORM in partnership with ECU City, this year’s event theme, Shaped by Light, celebrates the power of light to transform, inspire, and bring people together.

Yagan Square will be transformed into a nocturnal landscape, with visitors invited to explore the different light works at their own pace. Live performances, music and movement are also expected across the two nights.

The event’s centrepiece is Pulse, a looping light exhibition in the Yagan Square Amphitheatre by artists Rachael Dease and Giorgia Schijf, produced by Lux Events. The sculptural installation features strands of light that translate sound into motion, creating a program loop that reacts to live music, dance and Japanese drums.

Beyond Pulse, event highlights include Where Country Holds Light, in which Spinifex Hill Studio artists bring Pilbara Voices to Yagan Square through the Digital Tower; Descent into the Yaragadee, a 30,000-year journey of water projected on the ECU City facade; and Guiding Creatures, a trio of roaming, larger-than-life lantern puppets inspired by underwater life.

Other installations include Coral Trees @ Railway Lane, which features glowing inflatable seascape structures, Mycologic Studio & Okto’s interactive installation Echoes of Presence, and the luminous infinity cube, Hexahedron.

Eventgoers can also enjoy street foods and snacks from Street Eats Eatery, Hiss and Smoke, and The Shoe, with in-dining experiences at Stories and drinks from Stories Front Yard.

Illuminate Yagan Square hits Yagan Square in the Perth CBD from Friday, April 17, to Saturday, April 18. For more information, visit developmentwa.com