Arts and Culture

Six free events to check out at Perth Festival

Visit Perth05 Feb '263 min read

Kwop Ben

Looking for cheap thrills this February? Perth Festival is the perfect place, with plenty of free events to fill your summer schedule – here’s our top picks.

Perth Moves

21 – 28 February | Forrest Place

Perth Moves brings a full week of free dance action to Forrest Place, making it the easiest way to soak in the Festival energy on your way home from work or on a night out in the City. Catch the Perth Moves Dance Battle—a one-night showdown featuring a DJ, MC and international judges as dancers of every style go head‑to‑head under the city lights. Experience Concrete Echoes, which transforms the space into a live, shifting choreography as performers move seamlessly through the crowd over several evenings. And be sure not to miss CERCLES, where Boris Charmatz joins a dozen professional dancers from Europe and Australia to share a captivating series of circle dances.

Up Late Karaoke

13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 February | The Embassy

Round up your friends and let loose at Up Late Karaoke, The Embassy’s late-night sing-along. Expect wall-to-wall bangers—from 90s R&B and power‑pop anthems to those guilty‑pleasure tracks you can’t help but belt out. Grab your crew and get ready to go all in.

Perth Moves

Let Me In, Let Me Out

24 – 28 February | Various

Blending projections with artist Hugo Flavelle’s personal experiences, Let Me In, Let Me Out shines a light on the inequities of access embedded within City spaces. This immersive work reshapes your sense of the urban landscape, using perception itself to create a powerful and unmissable shift in scenery.

Karla Bidi

6 February – 1 March | Various

Karla Bidi (Noongar for 'fire trail') is your invitation to the Festival. Each night, towering beacons of light transform the Derbarl Yerrigan / Swan River into a glowing pathway stretching from the hills to the ocean, echoing Noongar traditions of lighting fires to greet and guide visitors. You can see the beacons from multiple points along the river, or head down to the water’s edge to sit under the night sky and take in the soundscape and stories. No tickets, no seats - just you, the river and a city-wide artwork to dazzle your friends and family.

Karla Bidi

Awakening Histories

6 February – 29 March | PICA

A major exhibition of our times, Awakening Histories honours First Nations people’s longstanding histories of encounter and interaction with people, technologies, plants and ideas from across the seas.

Kwop Ben

6 – 28 February | Boorloo Bridge

Don’t miss Kwop Ben, a major new light artwork set to completely transform Boorloo Bridge after dark. The bridge lights up with shifting colour and moving images, turning an everyday crossing into a must-see Festival moment.