Perth Festival returns to light up summer with 2026 program

Perth Festival has unveiled its 2026 program, marking the return of the city’s summer celebration of art and culture from Friday, February 6 to Sunday, March 1, 2026.

This second program from Artistic Director Anna Reece features 13 festival commissions, 20 world premieres and nine Australian premieres across 23 days. With 108 events—including 33 free experiences—and 24 feature films, the program celebrates art in all its forms, showcasing both West Australian talent and leading international artists.

Following the successful revival of the iconic East Perth Power Station last summer, the venue returns in 2026 with another dynamic line-up. Music highlights include UK electronic visionary Max Cooper; Australian rock greats Mick Turner, Mick Harvey, Adalita and Marty Brown as Bleak Squad; Britain’s Morcheeba; genre-bending rockers Black Country, New Road; Yolngu rapper Baker Boy alongside Haisla Nation rappers Snotty Nose Rez Kids; indie-pop sensation Nilüfer Yanya; Perth’s own SYBER:013; and US violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives. The Perth Symphony Orchestra will also bring David Bowie’s greatest songs back to life in a one-night-only spectacular, Rebel Rebel.

Inspired by the piazzas of southern Europe, Casa Musica returns to the East Perth precinct on the banks of the Swan River, offering free live music from Wednesday to Sunday. The open-air celebration features artists from across the Indian Ocean rim and beyond, creating a vibrant summer gathering place for the community.

Returning for a second year, Boorloo Contemporary will transform the Power Station with new commissions and solo exhibitions from First Nations artists. The industrial façade will become a vast canvas for Bibbulmun Noongar/Budimia Yamatji artist Lance Chadd Tjyllyungoo and Wadawurrung artist Kait James.

Lighting up the skies once again is Karla Bidi, inspired by the Noongar tradition of lighting fires to greet visitors. Featuring a new soundscape of song and story, it will transform the Derbarl Yerrigan/Swan River into an illuminated pathway stretching from the hills to the Indian Ocean.

Other First Nations storytelling and performances include The BhuMeJha Project, which invites audiences to the edge of the Perth Hills for an immersive evening of ceremony, song, dance and reflection, while Nitja transforms Point Walter into a free community celebration of live music, dance and projected animation.

The festival also launches a new fine music series, Sanctum Series, within St Mary’s Cathedral. Performers include Grammy Award-winning Roomful of Teeth, Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, Riley Skevington with WASO musicians in Echoes Through Time, clarinettist Tommaso Lonquich with cellist Umberto Clerici and pianist Claudio Martínez Mehner, and Swedish vocal quartet Åkervinda.

The Embassy returns in 2026 for three weeks of music, glamour and sass at Perth Town Hall. Highlights include Perth chanteuse Ali Bodycoat with The Embassy Big Band; Somi’s soulful East African fusion; Promises & Wild Beasts (aka Mama Kin Spender); bluesman C.W. Stoneking; Grammy-nominated pianist Makoto Ozone; alt-folk star Annahstasia; and alt-country favourite Emily Lubitz.

Cabaret performances will sparkle throughout the season, including Le Gateau Chocolat’s Raw Cacao; Marney McQueen’s night of Broadway classics and yacht rock; Meow Meow with former Perth Festival Artistic Director Iain Grandage on keys; and What’s Tina Got To Do With It!, a lively tribute to Tina Turner.

The performance program includes the transformative solo dance work Songs of the Bulbul from award-winning UK choreographer and dancer Aakash Odedra in a Festival exclusive; local theatre icons The Last Great Hunt with their faux foreign film adventure Lé Nør [the rain]; LACRIMA; the heart-warming Haribo Kimchi from South Korean theatre-maker Jaha Koo; the futuristic dance epic U>N>I>T>E>D from Chunky Move; and WAAPA alumna Meow Meow returning with The Red Shoes.

Opera highlights include Lost and Found Opera’s Australian premiere of The Trial by Philip Glass, staged in a CBD corporate office tower; West Australian Opera’s new Secret Opera at an undisclosed location; and POV, a witty live docu-drama featuring unrehearsed actors.

Exciting Western Australian commissions include Hugo Flavelle’s performance art Let Me In, Let Me Out, Adam Kelly’s Dragon I, and the playful street-based adventure the booster protocol from pvi collective.

Ballet at The Quarry returns with Incandescence, featuring four world premieres blending classical ballet and contemporary choreography, while the Festival enters the online space with A View From A Bridge, a digital project from British artist Joe Bloom.

Kicking off the summer, Lotterywest Films returns to UWA Somerville on Monday, November 24, with Nouvelle Vague, the latest from Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater.

Other film highlights include Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind; Harry Lighton’s Pillion; Eva Libertad’s Deaf; Joachim Trier’s Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value; Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident; Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent; Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake; Maura Delpero’s The Mountain Bride Vermiglio; and Andrew Patterson’s The Rivals of Amziah King.

“Perth Festival is our city at its best,” said Perth Festival Artistic Director Anna Reece. “Curious, connected, creative and completely alive. For four weeks in summer we open as many doors as we can and invite everyone in.”

Perth Festival runs from Friday, February 6, to Sunday, March 1, 2026. Lotterywest Films runs from Monday, November 24, 2025, to Sunday, March 29, 2026. Tickets are on sale Monday, October 27, from perthfestival.com.au