Perth Festival has revealed its full 2025 program, with new Artistic Director Anna Reece, inviting Perth audiences and visitors to taste the salty air, feel the sand dunes beneath their feet, be challenged by truth-tellers and play with mischief-makers.
Running for 24 days from Friday 7 February 2025, the Festival features 104 different events, 64 of which are free, that aims to surprise and delight. It features over 380 artists, including 143 international artists and 173 local West Australian artists.
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. This bold and spirited international capital city of endless opportunity and kaleidoscopic possibility, with a pulse is as vibrant as it is eclectic,” said Perth Festival Artistic Director, Anna Reece.
“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,” said Reece.
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 the ultimate destination for hot summer nights. 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 as it becomes the beating heart of this year’s festival celebrations.
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, promising an unforgettable experience in this monumental industrial setting, featuring acts such as celebrated performer Nils Frahm for two enticingly hypnotic nights; and Midnight Oil’s legendary frontman Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos in a rare solo performance.
Also featured will be Alter Boy who will perform their entire catalogue of self-described ‘queerlectro pop noir’; Norwegian duo Royksopp for a very 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; and Egyptian-Australian DJ, Moktar, along with C.FRIM. Full program 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 – an artist club, infused with a little bit of surprise and delight.
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 Veronique 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.
International highlights of the dance program include Larsen C – a breath-taking 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, UK’s legendary PJ Harvey will kick off her Australian tour at Kings Park for a special one-night performance; while 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, delivering their most ambitious work to date; Portugal’s renowned Mariza promises to captivate with 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.
In a delightful twist, 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 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 Joy and 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 breath-taking 35-minute documentary that explores one of Australia’s most untamed and awe-inspiring regions.
The 2025 Perth Festival runs from Friday 7 February to Sunday 2 March. General public tickets on sale at midday AWST on Monday 11 November 2024. For more information and full program, visit: www.perthfestival.com.au for details.
Images: Mahabharata (Part I KARMA) – photo by David Cooper | Karla Bidi – photo by Tristan McKenzie | LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) | Casa Musica (supplied) | Larsen C by Christos Papadopoulos – photo by Pinelopi Gerasimou | Orchestra-oke (supplied)