Perth Festival Unveils 2026 Program Featuring Bleak Squad, Morcheeba, Nilüfer Yanya & More

Perth Festival returns for another three-week-plus program of live music and activations in 2026, with the WA event securing 21 world premieres and nine Australian premieres/exclusives over 23 days.

Next year’s festival programming begins on Friday, 6 February, and concludes on Sunday, 1 March. Its Lotterywest Films excitement runs from Monday, 24 November 2025, until Sunday, 29 March 2026.

Following a hugely successful revival of the East Perth Power Station last year, the Perth Festival will utilise the space again in 2026, featuring an impressive line-up of international and local artists and events.

Highlights of Perth Festival’s Main Stage programming include UK electronic pioneer Max Cooper, Aussie supergroup Bleak Squad (Mick Turner, Mick Harvey, Adalita and Marty Brown), British outfit Morcheeba, indie rockers Black Country, New Road, Baker Boy alongside the Snotty Nose Rez Kidz, British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya, Sudan Archives, and SYBER: 013. The Perth Symphony Orchestra and special guest vocalists are also set to honour David Bowie’s spirit with the one-night-only extravaganza, Rebel Rebel.

The music programme has also secured events such as the family-friendly Casa Musica and the launch of the new Sanctum Series. Artists scheduled to perform during the latter include Roomful of Teeth, Martin Hayes, WASO musicians, and the Swedish vocal quartet Åkervinda.

Meanwhile, at The Embassy, punters can expect three weeks of music, glamour, and sass held at the Perth Town Hall. Highlighting jazz, blues, soul, cabaret and everything in between, artists including Ali Bodycoat, Somi, drag diva Le Gateau Chocolat, Promises & Wild Beasts (aka Mama Kin Spender), Meow Meow, C.W. Stoneking, Emily Lubitz, and more are set to perform throughout the programming.

In addition to live music, Perth Festival will showcase digital projects such as Joe Bloom’s A View From A Bridge, Aakash Odedra’s solo dance work Songs of the Bulbul, French theatre epic LACRIMA, Jaha Koo’s Haribo Kimchi, performances from the Lost and Found Opera, and more.

Perth Festival will launch with the season opener, Nouvelle Vague, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater. Other film highlights include Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, Joachim Trier’s Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value, Cannes Festival Palme d’Or-winning director Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, and more.

Tickets to the general public will be available at 12 pm AWST on Monday, 27 October. You can find tickets and the full festival program on the Perth Festival website.

Perth Festival Artistic Director Anna Reece said of the 2026 program, “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. 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.”

Reece continued, “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.”

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook added, “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.

“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.”