In her own words: Anna Reece on the magic of Perth Festival 2025
Hey Perth! Thanks for showing up to my first Festival.
Perth Festival 2025 was a dream realised. My first Festival as Artistic Director – and the first led by a Western Australian – was born from a deep desire to create a festival for my hometown that truly belonged to this place. I am incredibly proud and humbled to reflect on this first year - on a festival that felt proudly local in spirit, yet ambitious in scale. That vision resonated. This year we welcomed our youngest, newest and most diverse audiences ever and delivered the largest free program in the Festival’s history – inviting more people than ever to experience in the magic, surprise and delight that art can deliver to our city in summer.
This program was uniquely Western Australian in its vision and energy. Indeed, one critic observed that under local leadership the Festival has “finally become a Festival OF Perth,” a celebration by and for our community. Our city came alive this summer with incredible stories, performances, cultures and neighbourhoods all woven together – and what was once called a “city of isolation” felt more connected than ever.
At the heart of 2025 was a commitment to transforming places and spaces across our city. These transformations not only revitalised iconic Perth locations, they made the city itself our stage, inviting everyone to explore Perth in a new light.
The historic Perth Town Hall was reborn as The Embassy, a dynamic hub buzzing with evenings of intimate music. We touched on a little nostalgia, brought back dancing and decadence, and delivered a late night club where artists and audiences could let loose a little or a lot into the wee hours.
We brought the long-dormant East Perth Power Station roaring back to life as an electric new precinct. The industrial walls of the Main Stage venue pulsed with energy – hosting world-class concerts in an atmosphere unlike any other. Is it Berlin? No its Perth! - was something we loved to hear and heard a lot. After the sun set, its exterior was illuminated by stunning animated artworks turning this once-silent forgotten site into a beacon of creativity and community.
Set against the river and framed by paperbarks, our Casa Musica stage at East Perth Power Station became one of the Festival’s most loved gathering places – a celebration of live music in all its vibrant, cross-cultural glory. For free! People showed up in droves – with picnics, prams, dogs, dancing toddlers and grandparents in tow – a true all-ages welcome. The music program reflected the richness of our state and our unique position at the heart of the Indian Ocean Rim. From Afrobeat to Balkan brass, Noongar soul to electronic Indian fusion, Casa Musica celebrated the cultural diversity that defines WA – and proved that this city dances to the rhythm of the world.
In keeping with our ethos of making the whole city our canvas, we lit up the Swan River | Derbal Yerrigan each night with the powerful and poetic Karla Bidi (Noongar for fire trail). Towering beacons of light stretched from the hills to the ocean, echoing the Noongar tradition of lighting fires to guide and welcome visitors on Country. Accompanied by an evocative soundscape, Karla Bidi’s glow connected communities on both sides of the river – from Fremantle to Guildford – and invited over 40,000 people to reflect on our shared history and the exquisite natural beauty of this place we all call home. A quiet, glowing thread that signalled the arrival of the Festival and that everyone was welcome. Karla Bidi touched hearts gently yet profoundly.
This year we celebrated Perth’s neighbourhoods, expanding our footprint beyond the CBD to bring our sprawling city free, joyful events to communities across the metro area. From Indian Ocean Sounds on Scarborough Beach to Orchestra-oke in Bayswater, the Festival rippled outwards – connecting more people and places than ever before.
Dance was a core part of this year’s Festival – bold, beautiful and alive in theatres and public spaces. Through Perth Moves, we brought world-class dance into the centre of the city, inviting everyone to witness the power of movement – none more so than in the new large-scale work by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, presented for free in Forrest Place. We saw bodies become architecture in the hypnotic intensity of Larsen C from Greece, and were shaken by the visceral force of Portugal’s CARCAÇA, a fearless, urgent work of protest and resistance.
This sense of international connection extended across the program – from the soul-stirring voice of Portugal’s Mariza to the visual and spiritual splendour of Samsara from Indonesia, and the immersive journey of Ultimate Safari from Tanzania. Each work brought a different part of the world into conversation with Perth, reflecting our place on the Indian Ocean Rim and deepening our cultural dialogue with the region and our own communities.
Our commitment to ambitious storytelling was evident in the epic theatrical works we presented. Stepping into His Majesty’s Theatre, garlanded with marigolds - audiences were awed by Mahabharata, a breath-taking contemporary retelling of the ancient Sanskrit saga presented by Canada’s Why Not Theatre. This seven-hour epic was not only a feat of endurance and artistry, but a transformative experience – a journey through myth and humanity that left people talking about it for days.
This year also saw the launch of Boorloo Contemporary, a bold new initiative celebrating First Nations creativity and Western Australian artists, positioning our stories at the forefront of national and global conversations. Our inaugural program featured two solo exhibitions from Alice Guiness and Mervyn Street, the immersive dining experience Killa: Pindan to Plate, transporting you to West Kimberley Country, and the show-stopping illuminated commission at East Perth Power Station created by Noongar artists Allan Yarran, Ilona McGuire and Daniel Hansen. Boorloo Contemporary focused on the borderless creative thinking of Indigenous artists and firmly established a new platform for Western Australian stories and talent on the national stage.
In another standout moment, our own Black Swan State Theatre Company staged August: Osage County, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, with an all-star East Coast / West Coast Australian cast. The result was extraordinary: packed houses and standing ovations for this searing, darkly comic family saga. From the oldest epic stories to modern masterpieces, we were thrilled to see Perth’s appetite for hosting world-class theatre that moves and inspires us all.
Throughout the festival, an overarching curatorial principle guided every choice we made. Every work in the program was selected with intention. Nothing by habit or default. Everything in service of telling the stories that matter most to this place, right now. This was a Festival of Perth – shaped by its people, inspired by its landscapes, alive with its contradictions and brilliance. We celebrated our shared sense of home with a program deeply connected to the stories, traditions and artistic voices of our region.
Looking back on Perth Festival 2025, my overriding feelings are joy and gratitude. We set out with a bold ambition, and our audiences met it with such generosity, curiosity and heart. The city responded, Perth showed up! Venues were filled, new spaces were embraced, and the buzz was truly palpable. The media and our audiences celebrated the Festival’s vision and the unique Western Australian spirit that shone through.
Most importantly to our partners, supporters, funders and believers – thank you. Your trust helped us realise a bold and beautiful vision. There is a lot we learned, a lot we are proud of and so much more to come. You made it possible for us to light up this city, to invite everyone in, and to share something unforgettable. And this is only the beginning.
Perth Festival is a living, breathing celebration of place and people, and we are so thankful to have you as our audience and supporters in bringing this celebration to life. Together, we have not only delivered a triumphant Festival for our city, but also set the stage for an even brighter future.
Thank you for sharing the journey, the vision, and the pride – I can’t wait to see where we go next.
Anna Reece
Artistic Director