Culture, history, art, fun, and music to soundtrack the summer heat: all of this can be found at the annual beloved Perth Festival.
The festivities take place at East Perth Power Station, the industrial relic that has been transformed to become a beacon of the arts. The Power Station - Perth’s once crucial supply of electricity - was decommissioned in 1981 but revamped in 2025 to become an exciting arts and entertainment precinct for Perth Festival.
“It’s like London Printworks or Shine Nightclub in Belfast,” the festival’s artistic director Anna Reece explained last year. “It's so full of character, so it kind of feels like you're inside, but you're also under the stars.”
The East Perth Power Station was lauded as an inspiring environment for the 2025 Perth Festival - and this year is sure to be no different.
This year, the walls of East Perth Power Station will once again be illuminated and transformed into a breathtaking outdoor gallery with Bibbulmun Noongar/Budimia Yamatji artist Lance Chadd Tjyllyungoo’s depictions of various landscapes, which skilfully weave Noongar spiritual beliefs and stories into images of physical landforms.
His paintings of this Country, wetlands to hills, from another time and perspective, come to life on the façade of the colonial Power Station building in an exquisite expression of the inseparable connection between land and spirit in Noongar culture.
The Perth Festival kicks off at 5 pm on Friday, February 6th and wraps up late on Sunday, March 1st.
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The festival provides entertainment for attendees, both young and old. Attendees on the younger side can head to the box office to pick up the free Boorloo Contemporary and Karla Bidi Activity Book – a playbook which introduces children to the artists and artworks at East Perth Power Station through fun, interactive activities inspired by the site.
And attendees of all ages will enjoy the diverse range of brilliant music on offer.
For those happy to splurge, ticketed events will take place on the main stage. The festival’s main line-up is absolutely stacked. The United Kingdom’s electronic visionary Max Cooper will light up the East Perth Power Station on February 6th. His hypnotic beats will be accompanied onstage by jaw-dropping visuals.
A series of colour pennant flags, designed by Wadawurrung artist Kait James, will also be hoisted around East Perth Power Station, transforming it into a vibrant canvas for political commentary, cultural pride and the celebration of different people coming together.
Indie pop darling Nilüfer Yanya will also touch down in Perth for the first time, playing on February 20th, fresh off supporting massive acts like Lorde and Alex G. Alt-rock collective Black Country, New Road will grace the stage on February 22nd, and First Nations icon Baker Boy will hype up the crowd on February 21st.
Other acts set to take over the main stage include King Stingray, Sudan Archives, Morcheeba, Rebel Rebel, Bleak Squad, and Syber: 013. It would be best to snap up the chance to see these revered artists as soon as possible, as tickets are selling like hotcakes.
Rebel Rebel finds guest vocalists Meow Meow, Abbe May, Noah Dillon, Rachael Dease, and Katy Steele, bringing David Bowie’s greatest songs to life, backed by the Perth Symphonic Orchestra. The show arrives ten years after Bowie’s passing and features hits such as Let’s Dance, Life On Mars, Heroes, Space Oddity, Changes, and, of course, the show’s namesake.
Reflecting on the importance of performing at Perth Festival, The Music caught up with Abbe May ahead of the show.
Why do you think events such as Perth Festival are especially important in this day and age?
I love that Perth Fest is always such a brilliantly diverse and world-class celebration of talent across multiple arts. I see it consistently delivering an immersive focus on art that is culturally important, not just commercially viable. Perth Fest is definitely a taste maker without any gatekeeping folly. I think it’s vital.
What do you think are the benefits of festivals that bring live music to large, diverse audiences?
It really helps bring us all together, off the screens and back into genuine interaction. Experiencing live music, sourced both locally and from around the world, expands our curiosity about others and leads to better connections. A good old-fashioned night of music and dancing is good for the soul - especially in this era of predominant disconnect.
What makes the Perth Festival such an exciting event to play? And what makes East Perth Power Station a particularly exciting venue to play?
It’s always been an honour to play Perth Festival. My experiences with them have been fantastic. They treat artists with a lot of respect, and I am always so grateful to find that every little detail is considered when ensuring comfort and safety for the artists and audiences. The stages and technical crew are exceptional, and you just always feel you’re in good hands. It makes for really powerful performances! I’m looking forward to experiencing the power station! It’s such a cool reclamation of a historic space.
But for those looking for more affordable fun, never fear. One of the best things about the Perth Festival is its free music program: Casa Musica.
The program, inspired by the piazzas and parks of Southern Europe, is a celebration of summer, community, and how music brings everyone together. Casa Musica, which runs from Thursday to Sunday throughout the season, offers festival-goers a chance to listen (or dance) to free music as the sun sets over the banks of the river.
Casa Musica offers up an environment where all are welcome - where people of all ages can come with their dogs and their prams and their picnic blankets and their smiling faces. Amidst this era of economic crisis and global uncertainty, a space where people of all creeds can enjoy music - for free! - is a truly beautiful and important thing.
This year, the program is showcasing the sounds of world-class musicians from around the globe across a range of genres, from South Sudan’s funk-blues powerhouse Ajak Kwai to Indonesian rock trio Ali to traditional Irish outfit Beoga, to name just a few. The program will also showcase a selection of WA’s very own exciting emerging bands. There is sure to be something to everyone’s taste.
Kavisha Mazzella, bringing her Cabaret Diaspora to the Casa Musica program, is set to bring fans to the dancefloor with the sounds of traditional music from Italy and Latin America. Discussing her upcoming performance at Perth Festival with The Music, Mazzella said:
Why do you think events such as Perth Festival are especially important in this day and age?
Perth is a wealthy city, and it’s good to share the benefits of the wealth around it. It's important to have a positive, safe space where you can have your mind and heart expanded, and who better to do this than artists?
Perth Festival is packed with amazing artists from all parts of our country and the world. The community can really soak in the atmosphere and come back to their daily worlds refreshed, healed and uplifted. Equally, all Artists benefit from showing their arts, dialoguing with the public and improving their skill sets by performing.
It’s a win-win situation and a marvellous way to see how the world could be a wonderful place to live… in fact, the festival at its best will bring wonder into our lives or at worst, disturb us enough to question our world… in any case, it will transform us.
What do you think are some of the benefits of having events that offer up free live music to the general public?
Offering free live music is such a warm thing to do… It makes our city feel safe, inclusive and welcoming, no matter who you are. It shows that the Festival is passionate about the arts for all. You don’t have to be rich to come to the festival. The Festival cares enough to share the arts with everyone, no matter who you are or what your background is.
That makes me proud to be part of such an inclusive Arts Festival. Perth’s beautiful Swan River/Derbil Yirrigan is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, and the free live festival events are such a great way to keep company with the magnificent River, continuing the long tradition of storytelling by the river by the ancient Whajuk Noongha peoples.
What makes the Perth Festival such an exciting event to play? And what makes East Perth Power Station a particularly exciting venue to play?
I’m so pleased to be back again. It's a real honour to play. We played here last year, and the atmosphere was so vibrant and celebratory. We played to 1200 happy people. You can’t beat that!
I also love the great way that they have upcycled a magnificent old building and repurposed it in the service of humanity, Art, Food, music, and peaceful Celebration.
Perth festival is healing… It’s all the things that make being human a good experience! Thank you for having us! I fall in love big time with Perth when the festival is on.
Indonesian funk darlings Ali are known for fusing Middle Eastern culture with elements of ‘70s Indonesian rock, cinematic soul, Afrobeats, funk, and disco. Performing on Thursday, 19 February, the trio are bringing something special to the Casa Musica programming.
The Music had a quick Q&A with the group ahead of their first performance Down Under in three years:
Why do you think events such as Perth Festival are especially important in this day and age?
Events like Perth Festival feel especially important right now because they create real, shared experiences. Especially at a time when so much of our lives happens online and can feel disconnected from reality.
What do you think are some of the benefits of having events that offer free live music to the general public?
Free live music removes barriers and allows people to discover music organically, sometimes even unexpectedly. For us as a band, it’s also special to play in front of a new audience with no expectations, just an openness to experience something new in the moment.
What makes the Perth Festival such an exciting event to play? And what makes East Perth Power Station a particularly exciting venue to play?
This will be our second time playing in Perth, and the audiences have always been incredibly warm and open. Being part of a special event like Perth Festival feels like a big moment for us. Playing in a space with as much character as the East Perth Power Station will add a unique energy to the performance. Immersive and almost cinematic.
For those keen to make the most of the festival’s free events, consider attending the open-air XXL dance workshop Cercles, hosted by radical French choreographer Boris Charmatz, or take in the beauty of Karla Bidi, the sound and light installation co-created by First Nations artists with guidance from Nan Vivienne 'Binyarn' Hansen. Late-night karaoke is also on offer, as well as a range of other free arts exhibitions.
If you’re looking to sail your way through February, usher in the start of March, and have an unforgettable end to your summer, then slide on your dancing slippers and head west: the Perth Festival is undoubtedly where you need to be.
Tickets and more information about this year’s event are available on the Perth Festival website.
