The 2026 Perth Festival programme is the second from Artistic Director Anna Reece, presenting audiences with works and artists of this time and place, repurposing Perth icons, and inviting attendees on a journey.
From office towers, to town halls, a power station and a cathedral. . . To riversides, hillsides, and the night sky. There are 13 Perth Festival commissions, 20 world premieres, and 9 Australian premieres or Australian exclusives over 23 days.
“Perth Festival is our city at its best. 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 Artistic Director Ann Reece says. “We don’t just put on shows, we take over the city with brilliant artists and their truth telling and mischief making. This is not just art you want, it’s art you need.”
“Every year, Perth Festival becomes a moment in time that changes the city. Streets hum, ideas spark, people meet, and we see Perth through new eyes. This is a festival open to everyone, a celebration that makes this extraordinary place feel more like home.”
From British artist Joe Bloom comes ‘A View From A Bridge’, a digital projection about connection in a distracted age and just how extraordinary ordinary people can be.
Max Cooper - Image © Sam Cronenberg
The performance programme of the festival is filled with drama, thrills and decadence, lighting up the city’s stages this season, including the transformative solo dance work ‘Songs Of The Bulbul’ from award-winning UK choreographer and dancer Aakash Odedra, and local theatre icons The Last Great Hunt return with ‘Lé Nør [the rain]’, plus ‘LACRIMA’, a French theatre epic set in the cut-throat world of haute couture, the futuristic dance epic ‘U>N>I>T>E>D’ from Chunky Move, and more.
The thrills and surprises continue, as Lost And Found Opera present an operatic fever dream in the Australian premiere of Philip Glass’ ‘The Trial’, performed in a CBD corporate office tower. Plus, West Australian Opera return with a new ‘Secret Opera’ atmospheric experience, and ‘POV’ crackles with wit and energy – a live docu-drama unfolding with two unrehearsed actors.
There are Western Australian-commissioned performances including Hugo Flavelle’s ‘Let Me In, Let Me Out’, and world premieres of ‘Dragon I’ and ‘the booster protocol’.
The iconic East Perth Power Station music venue returns in 2026 with a line-up of local and international artists and events. Highlights across the Main Stage include the UK’s Max Cooper kicking off the programme, and the likes of Bleak Squad, Baker Boy, Morcheeba, Black Country, New Road, Sudan Archives, and Perth Symphony Orchestra bringing David Bowie’s greatest songs back to life.
Boorloo Contemporary returns for a second year, bringing the Power Station to life with new, awe-inspiring and thought-provoking commissions alongside solo exhibitions from First Nations artists.
Karla Bidi, inspired by the Noongar tradition of lighting fires to greet and guide visitors, will light up the skies once again in 2026. There is powerful First Nations storytelling and performance all throughout the Perth Festival 2026 programme, including ‘The BhuMeJha Project’, inviting audiences to escape into nature for an immersive evening of ceremony and culture, song, dance storytelling, ritual and reflection.
Lotterywest Films - Image © Miles Noel Photography
There’s also a brand-new fine music series launching within the luminous surrounds of St Mary’s Cathedral, The Sanctum Series, starring the likes of Roomful Of Teeth, Martin Hayes, WASO musicians and more.
The Embassy will also make its return in 2026 for three weeks of music, glamour and sass, serving up jazz, blues, soul, cabaret, contemporary crooners and more. There’s Ali Bodycoat, Promises & Wild Beasts, C.W. Stoneking, Emily Lubitz, Le Gateau Chocolat, Marney McQueen, Meow Meow. . . The list goes on.
Lotterywest Films makes its return to UWA Somerville with highlights including season opener ‘Nouvelle Vague’, plus ‘The Mastermind’, ‘Pillion’, ‘The President’s Cake, and ‘The Rivals Of Amziah King’.
Perth’s Ballet At The Quarry returns, blending the timeless elegance of classical ballet with the daring innovation of contemporary choreography, in four dazzling world premiere works.
“The WA Government is committed to fostering a vibrant and creative State. Perth Festival plays a vital role in this vision – which is why we are proud to again support the Festival through Lotterywest,” Western Australian Premiere the Hon Roger Cook says.
“As a highlight of WA’s event calendar, it brings together global artists, local talent, and the spirit of our city - making it a unique event found only in Perth. I’m thrilled to see the return of the Perth Festival to the East Perth Power Station this year – a special hub to meet friends, listen to music, enjoy good food, and be inspired by Indigenous art.”
Check out the full programme.
Perth Festival 2026 is on from 6 February-1 March.
