Yagan Square grand reopening celebrations to Illuminate the heart of the city

Yagan Square will welcome the community back with a grand reopening celebration on the weekend of Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28. The program for Illuminate Yagan Square is now live, with more than 50 free things to do, see, and enjoy from 11am until late, across the two days.

The festivities have been specially crafted for all ages and tastes, with over 10,000 people expected over the weekend.

Illuminate features dynamic live stages, interactive attractions, and roving entertainment across five zones that form the festival precinct: along William Street Mall from Wellington Street to Roe Street, the Digital Tower, Railway Lane, the Amphitheatre, and the Horseshoe Bridge (on Sunday, April 28 only).

The Horseshoe Bridge will be closed to traffic and transformed into Second Life Markets on the Sunday, in what will be Perth's most extensive street markets. The Bridge will be a pedestrian-only zone and marketplace for the best of WA fashion reinvented. More than 80 individual stalls will feature everything from exquisite blooms to vintage fashion and handcrafted treasures.

A major highlight of the program is The Light Maze—a stunning illuminated walk-through installation near the Digital Tower from 11am to close on both days. Enter a fascinating realm of light and colour with this inventive blend of art and architecture by distinguished German architect Ben Busche. The two-metre triangular dichroic panels produce a dazzling array of colours that shift and dance with every angle and interact with the reflections of those moving through. Premiering in Seville and Brussels in 2017, and since mesmerising viewers from Dubai to Austin, this artistic spectacle offers immersive beauty that changes by day and night.

For families and children, Illuminate presents a refreshing and original program of unique and engaging free activities, including circus school, one-minute portraits, AWESOME Arts kids markets, El Presidente cart rides, a magic show, a temporary tattoo bar, and a one-man circus, along with favourites like face painting and a glitter bar, plus pop-up food treats, stage shows, and the new Yagan Square adventure playground.

Programming across all zones is family-friendly until 8pm, and families should mark their programs for the two headline shows at the Amphitheatre at 6.30pm, combining performance, music, and projections: the grand-scale GLOW–GLEAM–DREAM on Saturday and Phil Walleystack’s captivating KAYA on Sunday night.

GLOW–GLEAM–DREAM on Saturday, April 27 features an enchanting 10-metre giant illuminated marionette, the star of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s interactive performance of The Last Numbat in a unique collaboration with Twine. For the first time, it will be combined with immersive visual projections by Indigenous Perth artist Deborah Bonar onto the puppet, digital canopy, and Amphitheatre surrounds. Together with roaming puppets The Brolgas, this one-of-a-kind spectacle is accompanied by Shadow Stories, distinctly Australian yarns told by talented storyteller Glenn B Swift with live music by Digby Hill and shadow puppetry by audience members.

In KAYA on Sunday, April 28, Phil Walleystack will bring the ancient footsteps of Goologoolup (Yagan Square) to life. Joining forces with the mesmerising Aliwah Dancers, and dynamic illuminated artwork by Noongar and Yamitji artist Justin Martin, this unique celebration is a journey of soundscapes, projections, storytelling, and movement. 

The main Amphitheatre will represent the melting pot of Perth culture with Colombian, Latin, Brazilian, K-Pop and Aboriginal Australian performers in dancing, drumming, and song throughout the program.

The Amphitheatre stage will also feature some of hottest talent coming out of WA such as Noongar electro-pop artist Boox Kid, four piece indie-pop outfit Ivy Rite, teen rockers Broken Pedal (Rock Scholars) and Indigenous funk band Ricky Neil Jr.

Broadway Unleashed will belt out stage musical hits, and DJs Aslan, Bexx and genre-bending Jamilla will bring the beats. The whole family can join in the fun with interactive show Whose Rhyme—featuring impressive freestyle rapping with Macshane.

For content creators, there will be a spectacle at every turn with photo moments and eyepopping entertainment from Kaleido, featuring an aerial cube, hoop glow shows, silk fan dancers, jugglers, unicycles, stilt walkers, awe-inspiring acrobats, and plenty of neon on the dedicated Aerial Stages from 4pm on both days.

Illuminate also offers the chance for the first bite of much anticipated multi-level super-venue Stories, who will host their Opening Weekend Launch Party on Saturday, April 27 from 5pm. Registrations are now open to receive a VIP invitation to attend the celebration, to be amongst the first to experience the five levels, nine bars, open air dance floor, a secret bar, and the city’s biggest beer garden at Perth’s new entertainment destination. Shann will headline an epic selection of live DJs, roving performers, food, drinks, treats and giveaways at the party.

Stories' Front Yard is open for walk-ins and relax for a drink overlooking the new Yagan Square adventure playground. Also open for walk-ins are Stories Pourhouse, Fat Controller, Stories Rooftop, Ugly Baby Canteen, and ground.(coffee), with bookings recommended at restaurant alba. The remaining two restaurants within Stories, Ugly Baby restaurant and KARLA, will open in early May.

A number of food, beverage and snack outlets will pop-up around the precinct including favourites Cookie Loaded and FRY’D, The Juice Station, Gather Ice-cream, and Gluten Free donuts. They join existing Yagan Square eateries The Shoe, Gangnam (Korean BBQ), Hiss and Smoke (Japanese) and Street Eats Eatery. 

Be sure to look out for Shiny, the Yaagan (turtle) taking residence for Illuminate. The giant two-metre Yaagan will visit for the festivities, styled by large-scale botanical and mixed media installation and floral artist Lara Rose. Shiny represents the pillars of strength, survival, resilience, and celebration of Aboriginal culture.

Illuminate Yagan Square is open to all ages from 11am til late on April 27 and 28 and no tickets are required. Illuminate will go on rain, hail or shine. BYO blankets or cushions are welcome for seating in the amphitheatre, but no BYO alcohol is permitted.

Illuminate Yagan Square takes over Yagan Square from Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, 2024. For the latest updates and exclusive sneak peeks follow Yagan Square on social media or head to yagansquare.com.au