Image: Jessica Wyld Photography
Welcome Anna Reece, Artistic Director
Western Australians are born into a place of sand dunes and salty air, huge skies and vast horizons. It is this open spirit we carry into 2026 as we infiltrate our city with culture this summer. From office towers, town halls, a power station and a cathedral, to riversides, hillsides and the vast night sky – we unlock spaces and transform them into sites of surprise and delight. This year we hold firmly to our curatorial pillars – Karla Bidi, Boorloo Contemporary, East Perth Power Station and The Embassy. They are the backbone of our Festival, uniting us in celebration and reflecting our commitment to honouring home while opening our arms to the world. Truth hums through this program: the truth of the Country on which we live, of the human heart – its love, its longings and its fears. The truth of global imbalance,
of histories that cannot be ignored, and futures still to be written. These truths surface in stories that comfort, challenge and transform. At its heart, this Festival remains committed to First Nations voices and the artists of this place, whose courage and vision shape culture in Western Australia. Our international program speaks to this moment in time – from the intensity of masterful European theatre to new perspectives from across the Indian Ocean rim and Southeast Asia. These voices ground us, connect us to the world and inspire us all to look beyond the horizon. In a fast and fractured world, we invite you to slow down, lean in and let brilliant artists move you in a festival of truth telling and mischief making. It’s what Perth Festival is here for.
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