Dates & Times
See date, time details in the accordions on this page.
Access
Tickets
Free event
Free events registration required
Pindan to Plate: Killa Community Event is $15
Register via the links in the accordions on this page
Join us each week as we host a creative conversation with artists from the Perth Festival program. Take a deep dive into the reality of how shows come to life. Learn about the incredible people that make them and hear more about the inspiration behind their artistic ideas.
Register for Conversations
Tue 11 Feb 5.30 – 6.30pm
State Library of Western Australia - Theatre
Register here
Discover how 12 Last Songs transforms personal narratives into a powerful, ever-changing portrait of people and place.
Be part of an illuminating talk and discussion on the creation and concept behind 12 Last Songs, a captivating production by UK’s Quarantine that crafts a living portrait of a city through its people – live on stage across 12 hours.
Hear directly from the creators as they discuss their method of framing stories from everyday individuals, each contributing to a broader tapestry of human experience. From Manchester to Reykjavik to Perth – they'll share how each iteration of the production evolves with every new city it inhabits, reflecting the unique lives, lessons, and identities of its inhabitants.
Quarantine Theatre’s Richard Gregory, Leentje Van de Cruys, and Lowri Evans in conversation with kelli mccluskey of pvi collective.
Sat 15 Feb, doors at 11.30am
Rechabite Hall
Book $15 ticket here
Join us for a special community event and lunch as part of the event Killa: Pindan to Plate. Stay for a shared lunch of smokey campfire-inspired beef stew from the Double Rainbow kitchen, see Killa film and hear from the visiting creative team from the Kimberley.
This monumental new commission brings to life the unique west Kimberley Saltwater stories and Aboriginal food practices, through the journey of the ‘killa’ (Kimberley cattle taken straight from the bush and shared amongst families).
As part of our Creative Conversations program you're invited to hear from Cultural and artistic leads Chad Creighton, Philip (Bud) Sibosado, Justin King (Snr), Justin King (Jnr), Lloyd Pigram, Scott Cox, and Bolo Angus in conversation with Emilia Galatis. This panel discussion will explore food sustainability, cultural narratives and eating practices direct from the west Kimberley coast.
After the conversation enjoy a lunch of oxtail stew, bone marrow flatbread and a mixed leaf salad with strawberry gum dressing, Throughout the experience you'll be immersed in a film that plays around you, bringing to life the 'killa' experience.
Lunch includes oxtail stew, bone marrow flatbread and a mixed leaf salad with strawberry gum dressing.
Tue 18 Feb 5.30 – 6.30pm
City of Perth Library - Auditorium
Register here
The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic that explores profound themes of duty, morality, and the human condition. It is one of the significant and timeless works South Asian literature with enduring relevance across cultures and generations.
Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking talk on the significance of the Mahabharata and its powerful resonance across cultures today. We will delve in to the story’s themes, exploring how they remain deeply relevant in our contemporary world. You’ll hear directly from the creatives of Why Not Theatre’s adaptation as they share insights into their creative process, the challenges of bringing this monumental story to the stage, and the ways in which they’ve reimagined it for a modern, global audience.
Why Not Theatre’s Miriam Fernandes and Encounter Theatre’s Jay Emmanuel in conversation with Renu Burr.
Wed 19 Feb
5.30 – 7.00pm
Callaway Music Auditorium, UWA Conservatorium of Music
Register here.
What kind of art and experimentation can be sparked by a creative geographic connection?
Find inspiration at the intersection of art and international perspective in this unique discussion. Using Samsara as a lens, this panel illuminates borderless collaboration and co-creation in the arts.
Take in a panel of local and international creatives as we share highlights of how cultural networks enrich creativity, strengthen collaboration, and redefine global storytelling. Our Indian Ocean rim region offers boundless possibilities – this talk will provide perspective on sharing rich tales and significant moments across our diverse locations.
Director Garin Nugroho, freelance artist and dancer Juliet Burnett, UWA Design School lecturer Paul Trinidad, and Festival Cultural Ambassador Aisha Novakovich in conversation with Perth Festival's Film Curator, Madeline Bates.
Sun 23 Feb 5.30 – 7.00pm
AGWA Theatrette
Register here
Registration essential, closes Fri 14 Feb 10am
This panel discussion inspired by world premiere LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) and facilitated by CAAP Artistic Director, Tessa Leong, will be followed by time to chat and mingle with food and drinks.
In some traditional societies the Longhouse is the meeting place where the village gathers to share stories and bond as a community. Contemporary Asian Australian Performance’s (CAAP) Longhouse Program combines talks, performances, masterclasses and workshops.
This is a unique opportunity for artists and audiences to explore key issues shaping the future of Asian Australian storytelling on our stages.
Presented by Perth Festival with Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and Performing Lines WA.
CAAP is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW, and assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.
This Creative Conversation is supported in part by Performing Lines WA as part of the 2025 Kolyang Program.
Refreshments will be available after the panel.
LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) creatives Joe Paradise Lui and Merlynn Tong, and local artist Cezera Critti-Schnaars in conversation with CAAP’s Tessa Leong.
Wed 26 Feb
5.30 – 6.30pm
City of Perth Library
Register here
Join First Nations curators and artists to discuss the creation of two major new site-specific artworks for Perth Festival – Karla Bidi and the Festival’s inaugural digital projection commission at East Perth Power Station for Boorloo Contemporary. Key creatives from these projects come together to explore how history is held in places and in archives, how storytelling can create collective experiences and how First Nations artists are envisioning collaborative futures.
Don’t miss an opportunity to hear how commissioning processes can create opportunities to share and strengthen culture.
Artists Daniel Hansen, Ilona McGuire, Ian Wilkes, and Yabini Kickett in conversation.
Talks & Q&As
PICA Sat 8 Feb
- 3 - 3.30pm | Oui Move in You, exhibition tour with curator Annika Kristensen
- 3.30 - 4.30pm | In her Footsteps, artist panel with Zali Morgan, Tom Freeman and Lauren Burrow facilitated by Clothilde Bullen
John Curtin Gallery Fri 7 Feb
- 12 - 1pm | Burndud Ground, artist talk with Juluwarlu Art Group CEO, Lorraine Coppin
- 1.15 - 2.15pm | Doba Nation, artist talk with Mai Nguyễn-Long
More info
Fremantle Arts Centre
The Beach | Dianne Jones
Idea Induction | Kate Mitchell
Stolen Wages | Mervyn Street
- Sun 9 Feb | 11.00am-12.30pm
Artist Talks | RSVP requested
Enjoy a morning of illuminating conversations between the artists and exhibition season curators Abigail Moncrieff and Emilia Galatis. - Sun 16 Mar | 11.00am-12.00pm
Curator Tour | RSVP requested
Join Abigail Moncrieff, City of Fremantle Curator and Collections Lead, for a tour of the Fremantle Arts Centre’s 2025 Perth Festival exhibition season. - Sat 5 Apr | 11.00am-12.30pm
Slow Art Day | Registration required
Take a long look at selected contemporary artworks in Kate Mitchell: Idea Induction, before joining Shannon Lyons, Engagement and Public Programs Coordinator, at 12pm for a brief relaxed group discussion.
Slow Art Day is a worldwide event with a simple mission: to help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. The goal of Slow Art Day is to focus on the art and the art of seeing and experiencing. - Tue 8 Apr | 10.15am-12.15pm
Access Tour | Registration required
Co-designed with DADAA for people with disability, their friends and carers, feel your way through Kate Mitchell: Idea Induction with a free Access Tour. The tour will be followed by a hands-on arts workshop to create artworks inspired by the exhibition.
Cool Change Contemporary
- Bedforms | Shupiwe Chongwe
Tue 18 Feb 6 -7pm | Artist Talk, Shupiwe Chongwe in conversation with community-aunty-in-training, Linda Iriza. The two will discuss their artistic practices in relation to their experiences and perspectives as representatives of the African diaspora
- Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
de-centre re-centre | group exhibition
Sat 15 Feb 2.00-3.00pm | Artists in Conversation, Gerwyn Davies and Kyle Archie Knight speak about their work with Brent Harrison, Assistant Curator, UWA Art Collection.
More information
If you have a ticket to one of the follow shows you're invited to stay on at the end to hear a Q&A with the artists about the work.
Is This A Room
Sat 15 Feb 2pm
Larsen C
Fri 21 Feb 7.30pm
LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches)
Sat 22 Feb 8pm
Night Night
Thu 27 Feb 7.30pm
Big Name, No Blankets
Fri 28 Feb 7.30pm
August: Osage County
Tue 11 Mar 7pm