About Us

We acknowledge the Noongar people who remain the spiritual and cultural birdiyangara of this kwobidak boodjar. We honour and respect the significant role they play for our community and our Festival to flourish.

Perth Festival is a not-for-profit multi-arts festival that brings world class performance, music, film, visual arts and literary events to Perth, Western Australia, every summer.

The Festival has been celebrating Perth, its people and its culture on the shores of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) for 70 years as Australia’s longest-running arts festival. Grounded on Noongar Boodjar, it is uniquely placed to celebrate the oldest living cultures in the world by championing rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and contemporary arts practice.

Founded in 1953 from the University of Western Australia’s annual summer school entertainment nights as a ‘festival for the people’, the Festival has seeded and cultivated decades of cultural growth through commissioning major new works and engaging diverse audiences.

Festival time in Perth is when the best artists from Western Australia and the world stand shoulder to shoulder in creative unity within the community.

Anna Reece is the next Artistic Director delivering the 2025-28 Festivals

Executive Director

Nathan Bennett was appointed Executive Director of Perth Festival in February 2017. Nathan has worked in senior leadership roles with leading arts companies in Australia and overseas for over 20 years. Prior to joining the Festival, he was Head of Development and Deputy Executive Director at Sydney’s famed Belvoir St Theatre.

Nathan's previous roles include General Manager of Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company and Company Manager at Bell Shakespeare, Australia's National Touring Company. He has also spent time in the United States with Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Company as Director of Development. He is a board member of Australian Dance Theatre and a former board member of PACT Centre for Emerging Artists.

Noongar Advisory Circle

Our Noongar Advisory Circle exists to ensure our respectful connection to this place, to its people and to the cultural bedrock of Noongar Boodjar remains strong.

The consultation of our Noongar Advisory Circle was integral to developing the Festival's Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Read more about our Noongar Advisory Circle

Our Board

The Perth Festival Board assists the Festival in its mission to build a creative community and enhance the State’s vitality.

It is made up of 8 members from a broad range of backgrounds and a wealth of expertise.

Read about our board members

Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee

Our Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee was formed to ensure that everything we do considers people with disability, access requirements and relevant service organisations through a consultative process. This committee was integral in developing our Disability, Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP).

Read about the committee and its members

Our Staff

Who makes the Festival happen? They say it takes a village and they would be right! We are so grateful to everyone who works to bring Perth Festival to life.

See our current staff members

Social Impact

We take seriously the impact we have on our community and place, and acknowledge that Festivals have not always been as accessible, inclusive and sustainable as they could be.

Perth Festival takes a holistic view of sustainability with a focus on caring for our planet, caring for our people, and caring for our community. We do this to ensure we remain relevant, accountable and resilient for generations to come.

Find out more

Special Projects

Perth Festival Special Projects (PFSP) is an exciting new venture from Perth Festival that was created to further our purpose – to enrich life through art. This new division of Perth Festival drives our ambition to become a year-round cultural organisation that delivers, always for our community, audiences and supporters.

Read more about PFSP

Past Brochures

Feeling nostalgic? Read our past Festival brochures. If you'd like to see a brochure in a different format or year please email us.