Your summer invitation to otherworldly experiences: Perth Festival reveals 2025 program

Perth Festival has today announced its full 2025 program, and its first under the helm of new Artistic Director Anna Reece.

Running from Friday, February 7 until Sunday, March 2, 2025, the festival features 104 different events, 64 of which are free.

Over 24 days, the Festival  will showcase over 380 artists, including 143 international artists and 173 local West Australian artists.

Highlights range from UK singer-songwriter PJ Harvey and Irish post punks Fontaines D.C. kicking off their national tours in Perth, to first Australian performances from world-class European choreographers Marco da Silva Ferreira and Christos Papadopoulos, from Australian rock icon Peter Garrett and electronic music duo Electric Fields, to epic international centrepiece Mahabharata and Tina Satter’s extraordinary Is This A Room.

The program includes seven Perth Festival commissions, five world premieres, and a further six Australian premieres or Australian exclusives, as well as the transformation of two of the city’s most iconic venues, the East Perth Power Station and the Perth Town Hall, into exciting new Festival sites.

“To deliver a festival for my home and the city I love is beyond my greatest dreams,” said Perth Festival Artistic Director Anna Reece. “This bold and spirited international capital city of endless opportunity and kaleidoscopic possibility, with a pulse as vibrant as it is eclectic.”

“The 2025 Perth Festival looks to the future of art and the world we inhabit together, through a program that is simultaneously contemporary and nostalgic. We will create a fever, a hunger, a boldness—stories of truth-telling and a sense of mischief. We will deliver experiences of surprise, delight, discovery, feast and provocation—dancing in the dunes just as much as we will be debating in town halls.”

“We hope to entice our audiences into all kinds of spaces across our city with spectacular events that are accessible and immersive, that span our cultural foundations as a state and a city, from our First Nations to our European and Asian migration stories. Everyone is welcome at Perth Festival.”

The Festival opens with the world premiere of Karla Bidi, inspired by the Noongar tradition of lighting fires to greet and guide visitors. This captivating experience will transform the Derbarl Yerrigan/Swan River into a stunning illuminated pathway, with beacons of light stretching along the river from the hills to the Indian Ocean, each serving as a symbolic campfire of welcome, warmth, and inclusivity.

Exclusive to Perth, highlights from the theatre program include Mahabharata, a stunning interpretation of an ancient Sanskrit poem by Toronto’s Why Not Theatre (seen as two separate shows or, for the ultimate marathon experience, one complete event with an optional traditional Indian feast and storytelling session) running from midday to midnight; 12 Last Songs is a one-off part live exhibition and part epic performance, inviting audiences to meet people they never get the chance to meet in everyday life; Is This A Room, the unnerving true story and interrogation of whistleblower Reality Winner; and by Western Australia’s The Last Great Hunt, the world premiere of Night Night, the tale of Pip, an Antarctic artist on a quest to discover the origin of life.

The world premiere of LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) by Jo Lui and Merlynn Tong will take audiences on an explosive wild ride into the depths of the Chinese afterlife, unravelling the bonds of friendship, culture, and redemption; and August: Osage County by Black Swan Theatre Company & Belvoir St Theatre presents Tracy Letts’ Broadway smash—a caustic and darkly funny exploration of a family in meltdown.

Film, traditional Balinese music, and EDM collide in Samsara: A Cine-Concert. Featuring traditional dance, masks and wayang kulit (Indonesian shadow puppetry), this stunning experience, with a soaring live score, created by acclaimed Indonesian director Garin Nugroho, asks what price you would pay to fulfill your heart’s desire.

In a historic move, the East Perth Power Station will open its doors as Perth Festival’s newest precinct, transforming the long-dormant site into an entertainment destination. Set along the river’s edge, the iconic venue will welcome the public for the first time in years, bringing fresh energy to one of Perth’s most significant landmarks.

When the sun sets, the façade of the Power Station will serve as a spectacular backdrop for an ambitious art commission featuring projected works from three First Nations artists.

Every Wednesday to Sunday afternoon, the Power Station will come alive with Casa Musica, a vibrant celebration of music, food, and culture inspired by the lively piazzas and parks of southern Europe. This free event promises world-class performances from across the Indian Ocean rim and beyond, featuring acts from Reunion Island, South Africa, India and Italy, as well as our very own local artists.

After dark, a hidden corner will transform into a main stage for experimental, electronic and live music, including Nils Frahm; Midnight Oil’s legendary frontman Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos in a rare solo performance; Alter Boyperforming their entire catalogue of self-described ‘queerlectro pop noir’; Norwegian duo Röyksopp for a special DJ set; multi-award-winning Australian electronic music duo Electric Fields; a kaleidoscopic mash-up of African and electronic elements by Ibibio Sound Machine; Egyptian-Australian DJ Moktar along with C.FRIM. The full program is set to drop in December.

Meanwhile, The Embassy, Perth’s cherished ballroom—once home to 80s raves, New Year’s Eve blowouts, department store staff balls, and old-school dance lessons—will be reimagined in the Perth Town Hall, transforming it into a vibrant space of nostalgic charm, contemporary flair and provocative experiences.

The Embassy will present an exquisite array of musical delights, from classical ensembles to rockabilly blues, alongside Summit, thought-provoking storytelling featuring some of the Festival’s most compelling minds. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Embassy Up Late will serve as the free Festival late-night hotspot.

Musical highlights at The Embassy include celebrated songbird and jazz musician extraordinaire Ali Bodycoat leading an all-star posse of music maestros on a trip down memory lane—with a contemporary twist; New Zealand’s country-soul star Tami Neilson; the spellbinding songbird Camille O’Sullivan; the enigmatic Joseph Keckler; Australia’s most celebrated violinist Véronique Serret; a new work by Sunny Kim's Ensemble Ochaye; and from Ethiopia, the legendary 78-year-old musical maestro Hailu Mergia.

To close The Embassy, a grand celebration invites all to join in an unforgettable night for A Night Out West, honouring the legacy of the Coolbaroo Club, whose legendary gatherings welcomed everyone from local mob to stars like Nat King Cole. A Night Out West is a nod to the infamous ball of the same name, held in the Perth Town Hall in 1955, and will feature an all-First Nations line-up, including award-winning R&B and neo-soul artist Bumpy, and the Wilarra Band from Lucky Oceans and David Milroy.

Ushering in summer ahead of the main Festival, Lotterywest Films returns to UWA Somerville on Monday, November 25. The season opens with Dìdi, which will transport audiences back to 2008, a time when YouTube was just emerging and MySpace offered a first taste of social media. Perth Fesitval is also partnering with Luna Palace to bring the spirit of Lotterywest Films to the young and young-at-heart in Cine Wonders.

International highlights of the dance program include Larsen C, a breathtaking work of art on the move by Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos, inspired by the slowness and decay of a huge 10,000-year-old ice shelf in Antarctica; and C A R C A Ç A by Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira, where 10 performers electrify the stage with their complex and percussive footwork (in sneakers).

Locally, Perth’s iconic summer Ballet at The Quarry returns with three new Australian ballets performed in the distinctive wild surrounds of the Quarry amphitheatre—from dance drawing on our rich Indigenous history to neo-classical pieces en pointe; and Perth Moves by STRUT Dance will be six nights of dance classes culminating in the world premiere of Manifest, a powerful work by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, featuring 12 local dancers and a 'silent choir’ of 150 community volunteers.

Adding to the dynamic music offerings, the UK’s legendary PJ Harvey will kick off her Australian tour at Kings Park for a special one-night performance; Polish pianist and composer Hania Rani makes her Perth Festival debut with a magical night of classical elegance and modern sensibilities; Fontaines, D.C., will perform their latest album, Romance; Portugal’s renowned Mariza brings her extraordinary voice and magnetic blend of traditional and contemporary styles; and Big Name, No Blankets celebrate the incredible legacy of Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher and his brothers, founders of the iconic Warumpi band.

West Australian Opera tempts audiences to take a chance on Secret Opera, inviting them to gather at a mysterious meeting place revealed only to the adventurous. Attendees will be led to an unexpected intimate venue, where fine music awaits. The Festival will also feature Orchestra-oke, where participants can fulfil their dreams of performing their favourite pop hits backed by the Perth Symphony Orchestra. Musica Viva also celebrates Jess Hitchcock as she performs special compositions of her songs for voice and strings with Penny Quartet. 

Centre for Stories presents a special Perth Festival edition of Backstories, where extraordinary individuals from the local neighbourhood share tales that have not been widely told, and Scarborough Beach will see South African group The Joyand Réunion Island’s Lindingo complement the sunset with harmonies, soul and tradition dance.

Two thrilling virtual reality experiences are on offer: Ultimate Safari, which immerses participants in the captivating world of wildlife conservation on the safari plains of Tanzania, and The Great Kimberley Wilderness, a 35-minute documentary that explores one of Australia’s most untamed and awe-inspiring regions.

Perth Festival runs from Friday, February 7 to Sunday, March 2, 2025. Lotterywest Films runs from Monday, November 25 to Sunday, December 1, 2024. Tickets are on sale Monday, November 11 from perthfestival.com.au

Photos by Tristan McKenzie, Duncan Wright, David Cooper, Kane Hibbberd and Steve Gullick