Festivals in Perth coming up in 2016

It used to be that once the Perth International Arts Festival packed up its tents and left the building that was it; Perth would don explorer socks, flannies and hibernate until spring.
oom.

Thankfully the city’s recent growth spurt has meant there’s still plenty of festivals coming up between now and the end of the year.

Here are just a few to put in your diary.

WRITING

Perth Poetry Festival

After the injection of arty movies you may have visions of sitting in a darkened speakeasy, laying down your own thoughts in rhyming verse, while the audience finger-clicks their appreciation, or not.

If you do, you might want to check out the experts at the Perth Poetry Festival first.

Confirmed guests range from Oxford student Maddie Godfrey (UK/Perth) to singer/songwriter Dora Smith (Broome), along with award winning poet Kevin Brody who now lives in the remote Aboriginal community of Mulan, plus other interstate and local poets.

My tip: If you really do fancy yourself as a poet or spoken word artist, there’ll be open mic segments at quite a few events, and I can assure you they are a highly supportive, friendly crowd.

When: August 11 – 14

Where: Most events will be at the Northbridge Piazza Community Room (Cnr Lake and James St).

Cost: Evening events $15, concessions $10. Seminars $25, concession $20. Free reading and panel discussion too.

FASHION

Telstra Perth Fashion Festival

Now in its 18th year the festival showcases some of WA and Australia’s finest fashion talent to the world.

It’s become a must see on the Australian fashion calendar.

Held over six days there’ll be world-class ticketed runway shows held in the evening, plus free public shows at a variety of locations and industry events.

The main stages will again be at Fashion Paramount and Fashion Central.

There’ll also be a cultural program of exhibitions, workshops and fashion-inspired events which add another dimension to the sculptural creations gliding down the runway.

I always clear some space in my diary as soon as the festival dates are announced – not that I’m a fashionista; in fact I don’t know my Chanel from my Target.

While the fashion conscious look out for their favourite designers, I go for the people watching, the party atmosphere and the creative inspiration.

You really don’t have to be into fashion to get a lot out of this festival.

FILM

Italian, British

Regardless of which you decide on, you can pretty much guarantee there’ll be quirky comedies (like last year’s Here Is Harold pictured above), dark dramas and the odd slightly bizarre movie that you have no idea what it was all about.

If any of the festivals (e.g. Italian and British) have an opening night event, or an after party, then splash out on a ticket.

They’re great nights with themed food and drinks plus a super friendly crowd ready to chat about the movie.

When:

Italian Film Festival September 22 – October 12
British Film Festival October 27 – November 9
Where: Cinema Paradiso

Website: Keep an eye on Cinema Paradiso for times and information and the specific websites which will be updated closer to the date.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Perth Heritage Days

Held over two days Heritage Perth will be bringing the past alive at museums, art galleries, gardens, churches, libraries and other heritage buildings across the city.

Stories of Perth and ‘The Way We Worked’ will be told through interactive drama, music, talks, and exhibitions, including the second annual Perth Heritage Days Photographic Exhibition.

Who knows, you may even get to see that rare species, a fax machine, remember them?

My tip: Make sure you get to Langley Park to watch the old planes fly in.

Date: October 15 – 16

Where: Various

Cost: Free

Website: www.heritageperth.com

ART

PICA Salon

PICA can always be relied on for an afternoon of mental stimulation.

While not strictly a ‘festival’ their annual Salon exhibition is the major showcase of the year, involving several artists.

This year the title is Radical Ecologies which is said to offer olfactory challenges, plant bombing, genre and gender defying clubhouses, an exploration of eco sexual urges and the secret lives of bees.

Having immersed yourself in several styles of arty cool no doubt you’ll understand what that means.

My Tip: Stand back from the bees when plant bombing or you may get more than an olfactory challenge.

When: July 31 – September 4

Where: PICA, Northbridge

Cost: free entry

Website: http://pica.org.au

City Of Perth Winter Arts Festival

Lastly I can’t finish this post without mentioning the City of Perth Winter Arts Festival.

The festival runs for three months and features cultural events, theatre, cabaret, dance, music, visual arts, film and literature from 25 different art organisations.

When: June 1 – August 31

Where: various

Cost: various

This post first appeared at VisitPerthCity.com