Perth’s reputation as a sleepy town is totally upended by the variety and scope of arts, events, and culture on show. Every facet of entertainment, whether it be music, drama or visual art is celebrated and enjoyed by locals.
Music events
The local live music scene is thriving, and is generally regarded as one of the best facets of entertainment Perth as a whole can offer. Not only is the quality first-rate, but the community it fosters has supported live groups, venues, and friendships for many across Perth. Industry professionals describe the scene as tight-knit, where acts support each other in a positive loop that only bolsters the popularity and success of our local music. Genres like indie pop/rock have flourished in the last few years, producing acts that have since become huge even internationally, but that isn’t to say the scene is one-note. The music fan in Perth is absolutely spoilt for choice—for example, Ellington Jazz Club in Perth’s CBD hosts live acts seven nights a week, and even includes a calendar on their website for users to find the perfect gig to suit their interests.
Northbridge is an absolute haven for live acts, with popular venues The Bird, The Rechabite, Jack Rabbit Slim’s and Lynott’s Lounge to only name a few. Kick-ons are made easy here with the clubs and bars on offer as Perth’s number-one nightlife location.
Fremantle also serves as a hotspot, with venues like Mojo’s, Freo.Social and the Fremantle Arts Centre. The latter is a hub for all kinds of arts events, as live music is hosted alongside arts classes and workshops, art exhibitions and the like. The building is just as interesting as the events hosted there, given its history as a convict-built lunatic asylum dating back to the 1860s.
It’s not just local acts that thrive in Perth, either—international talent regularly find their way down under to WA’s largest venues, selling out multiple nights at RAC Arena, HBF Park. Some international talent have even opted to take advantage of a number of Perth’s outdoor venues, like at Kings Park, Red Hill Auditorium and Belvoir Amphitheatre in the Swan Valley. Making a day of it and heading out to any of the gorgeous wineries along Great Northern Highway is the perfect activity to pass the time while waiting for your act’s gates to open.
If you’re not interested in a night out at a venue for thousands, Perth is also home to more intimate music experiences. The Candlelight Concerts hosted by Fever are held in smaller, unconventional venues, like the Perth Town Hall and Wesley Church. Featured here are candlelit string quartets, playing music ranging from Baroque, to film scores, to Taylor Swift medleys.
The classical music scene is just as lively, with several organisations scheduling year-long programs to service Perth. The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) regularly fills out venues such as the Riverside Theatre and His Majesty’s Theatre with performances of classical pieces, opera, film composer medleys and their ever-popular ‘In Concert’ series, in which they screen films and accompany them with their scores played live. The West Australian Opera also performs out of His Majesty’s Theatre, with patronage made simpler through their package offers of ten percent off when booking two or more shows.
Performing Arts Events
Perth isn’t short of performing arts events either. FRINGE Festival, Perth Festival and Perth Comedy Festival are our annual staples, improving year on year. For winter entertainment, RE//PERTH comes from FRINGE producers.
For year-round events, the students of WAAPA routinely produce professional-calibre performances in the fields of acting, dance, musical theatre and Aboriginal performance. With its 2024 program detailing over 300 performances and concerts, it’s a hard task to choose between them all. The relocation of the WAAPA campus to the CBD is slated for next year, further cementing their status as a ‘heart’ of our city’s arts culture.
The CBD as a cultural hub is supported by the numerous state-of-the-art performance venues. The State Theatre Centre of WA largely operates out of the Heath Ledger Theatre in Northbridge, hosting drama, comedy, musical performances and dance alike, with the Black Swan Theatre Company and Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia being residents. This venue comprises just one part of the Perth Cultural Centre, placing our arts institutions right in the centre of the city. Other tenets of the Centre include the independent Blue Room Theatre, and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, hosting performances as well as galleries for visual art.
Crossing the river to the Crown Theatre in Burswood is bound to make for an interesting night, with the Crown Towers containing a casino, restaurants and a hotel for a home-away-from-home. At the Crown Theatre, you’ll find musical theatre tours making their stop in Perth, ballet and musical performances, paired with the excellent Epicurean or Atrium restaurants.
Venturing further into Perth’s suburbs uncovers additional outlets for performing arts events. Astor Theatre in Mount Lawley is popular even with international acts, comedy performers and podcasters regular tenants. Subiaco’s Regal Theatre and the Leederville Comedy Club also host a regular schedule of performances occupied similarly by local and international talent. Leederville Comedy Club in particular collaborates with comedy institutions well-known to even those not submersed in comedy scenes, Comedy Central and Just For Laughs.
Fremantle is another hub of entertainment around Perth. Practically every facet of performing arts thrives here, from poetry readings, line dancing events, and of course, their iconic live music scene. The unique Fremantle International Street Arts Festival is a must see, especially for families with children. The event is held on the Easter long weekend, showcasing performers like puppeteers, mermaids, acrobats and contortionists at nine different locations around Fremantle. Visit the Esplanade Reserve to see some of the best acts, then walk down to Bathers Beach to decompress after all the excitement.
Movies and Cinemas
Film buffs and families alike will find a unique experience moviegoing in Perth. With a mixture of vintage and new-age, independent and large-scale, you can tailor your trip to the movies exactly to your tastes.
Perth’s weather generally lends itself to outdoor cinema opportunities, and as such there are many different outdoor cinemas around the city. This doesn’t mean they’re year-long, however—although Perth is dry for most of the year, the infrequent rain still confines outdoor cinemas to the summer. Luckily, there’s enough options to get your fill in the months from November to April. Closest to the city centre you’ll find Kings Park’s Moonlight Cinema, where you can picnic on the lawn with BYO food and drink, enjoy premium seating options with included bean beds and priority views, or rug up and bring your own seating for the night. The Rooftop Movies in Perth City are ran alongside FRINGE Festival, six stories up on the roof of the Roe Street City of Perth Car Park (with free parking included!). Watch the sunset with a movie, gourmet burger and local brews.
UWA Somerville Auditorium is home of the Lotterywest Film Season, part of Perth Festival. Pine trees surround you as you catch international and Australian films in a multitude of languages to expand your horizons. Venturing further away from Perth’s centre, we have Telethon Community Cinema’s four locations to Perth’s north and south screening outdoor films to support charity—at the Murdoch University location, you might even spot a quenda enjoying your film also! Luna Outdoor Cinemas in Leederville replays old classics, new releases and indie productions for every type of fan to enjoy.
Independent cinemas in Perth are integral to the lives of our cinephiles, with Luna Palace Cinemas being the premiere providers. They are an independent cinema company, with three locations (outdoor and indoor in Leederville, and indoor in Fremantle and Nedlands) across Perth. The popcorn is phenomenal, as are the house-made choc bombs. Anyone interested in films that perhaps aren’t as mainstream has to check out one of their cinemas. Serious film fans also have to give The Revival House in Como a go—the theatre is truly a ‘revival,’ showing their films in their original formats, on 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film reels, with their original audio format.