Wondering what events to lock into your calendar? We've done the hard yards and combed through everything happening in Perth to help you find the best.
There's plenty of good stuff coming up, including the return of Long Chim's Hot Gin Terrace and Market Grounds' famous Bottomless Gnocchi Club. Plus, Al Pastor's all-you-can-eat tacos special and the new Tour De Freo progressive long lunch.
Here’s what’s on in Perth this week, this month and beyond.
What's On This Week
Van Gogh Alive
Perth | All Month
We’re guessing you’ve seen snippets of Van Gogh Alive on your Insta feed. An immersive exhibition where Gogh’s seminal swirls, stars, sunflowers, snowflakes, and moonshine drift and dance across walls, just as you imagine the painter would have seen them in his own day. The super-hyped exhibition has been shown in 50 different cities around the world to some six million people (that’s a lot of Insta feeds). And now it's finally landed in Perth. Pick up tickets here.
Plating Up WA
Various Locations | All Month
Plating Up WA is a month-long celebration of the incredible West Australian produce we’re so spoiled with, and this year they’ve teamed up with over 40 restaurants to bring you a taste of all the best ingredients through WA-inspired dishes. With favourites like Will St, Bib & Tucker, Le Vietnam, Miss Chow's, Young George, The Shorehouse and many more jumping on board, we’re in for a very tasty month indeed.
Michael Angelo’s Sistine Chapel Exhibition
Fremantle | All Month
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition has finally landed at The Naval Store in Fremantle after touring the world over. This life-size re-creation of each of the 34 frescoes from the Sistine Chapel has been brought to life using highly detailed photos, meaning you can see every detail, brushstroke and colour as you wander through the exhibit. Head here for tickets.
Revealed Exhibition
Fremantle | All Month
Fremantle Arts Centre's annual Revealed Exhibition runs from now until the end of July and showcases over 250 exceptional new works from 100 of the best emerging WA Aboriginal artists from remote, regional and metro areas. With pieces exploring everything from traditional to the cutting edge across a huge range of mediums, it's a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich stories and culture of our first nations people. Don't forget to purchase a piece to take home!
All You Can Eat Tacos At Al Pastor
Fremantle | Wednesdays
It's cold out, so we'll take that as an excuse to go a little harder on all the carby tings than usual. Good thing Al Pastor at The Sunshine Harvestor Works in Freo is on the same page—they're slinging all-you-can-eat tacos every Wednesday with two margaritas (just enough to get you buzzed without ruining your Thursday morning) for $50. Not bad at all.
Bottomless Gnocchi Club
Perth | Wednesdays
Dig out your most elasticated pants because Market Grounds' famous Bottomless Gnocchi Club is back. It's gained quite the cult following for good reason—two hours of endless soft, potatoey pillows of joy wrapped up in three tantalising flavours for just $35 each. This year you can eat through classic gnocchi, lamb ragu, parmesan and pangrattato; fried gnocchi, pumpkin, burnt butter, sage and pecorino; and classic gnocchi, tomato sugo, ricotta and basil, Just add a glass of wine (or a bottle, no judgement here) if you want to make a night of it.
State Makers Festival
Perth | 16-26 June
Get your body ready for the ultimate indulgence because the State Makers Festival returns 16-26 June and it truly is bigger than ever before. Held across a number of venues within the iconic State Buildings, the epic foodie festival has a range of awesome events on offer across 11 days, all boasting something vastly different and discoverable—we’re talking some very special returning legends, exciting chef collabs and so much more. The full program is available to view here, but we’ve done the hard yards and rounded up six of the best events you won’t want to miss. Be warned, these *will* sell out.
Strange
Perth | 17-26 June
Not everyone can afford to zip over to Tassie for Dark Mofo, so we’re glad to see the emergence of this new underground arts festival dedicated to “the misfits and the misunderstood” in Perth. Kicking off this Friday, Strange runs for ten days and will see 35 talented Australian artists show their weird and wonderful works within the city’s most unique and under-utilised spaces, culminating in a ritual burning of a large-scale sculpture in Forest Chase on Sunday 26 June. Throughout the fest, you'll also be able to catch live music at Moana Hall.
Scarborough Sunset Markets Winter Edition
Scarborough | Saturdays
Winter in Perth just got a whole lot better—with the Scarborough Sunset Markets coming in hot with their new winter market series. Every Saturday evening from 3pm until 8pm, up to 50 food trucks and market stalls will wrap around the Scarborough Clocktower and stretch up the promenade. To really amp those cosy vibes up, their custom-made fire pits will be blazing all afternoon and yes, there’ll even be marshmallows for roasting. Plus, local DJs will be providing the hottest soundtrack for your ultimate wintery Saturday session.
Henschke x Truffle Hill—A Night Of Iconic Indulgence
Perth | 22 June
$350pp | canapés | three courses | paired wines
Good wine, romantic river views, canapes and a three-course truffle feast...Cooee has this week's most indulgent event well and truly covered. Grab final tickets here and treat yourself for a little mid-week luxury.
Subi Sustainable Style Series
Subiaco | 22-26 June
The Subi Sustainable Style Series is a five-day event that incorporates shopping events, DIY fashion workshops, inspiring and thought-provoking talks, fashion exhibitions and more to help you master the art of sustainable style. Created in collaboration with industry-leading forces like Fibre Economy and Second Life Markets. Get tickets here.
Fremantle Winter Music Festival
Fremantle | Saturday 25 June
If there's one thing that Freo does well, it’s music. That’s why you’ll be catching us at the Fremantle Winter Music Festival this Saturday. Hosted by gods of community radio, RTRFM, this festival takes place across five venues all within a short walk of each other, with 27 acts from 7pm til late. Catch local musicians Ra Ra Viper, Hector Morlet and Band of Misfits among so many more—tickets on sale here.
Bingo Loco at Freo Social
Fremantle | Saturday 25 June
What happens when you mix bingo and booze? You can see for yourself this weekend at Freo Social when Bingo Loco returns. The world's biggest bingo rave is back in Freo for one night only, with doors opening at 6.30pm.
Mx Burlesque Finals
Mount Lawley | Saturday 25 June
Prepare your feathers, prepare your tassels because the Mx Burlesque state finals are coming to The Astor Theatre in Mount Lawley this Saturday. To watch the closest thing to Moulin Rouge in real life, book your seat here.
Planet Video X Rechabite Collaboration
Northbridge | Sunday 26th June
The collab of our dreams has come to life, with iconic Mount Lawley video store Planet Video bringing a couple of cult classics to The Rechabite this Sunday 26 June. The doubleheader includes Desperately Seeking Susan at 6.30pm followed by Tank Girl at 8.30pm. Dress up in your favourite Madonna or Tank girl look and you could win some pretty sweet prizes too. Book your tickets and see all the incentives here.
Manjimup Truffle And Wine Festival
Manjimup And Surrounds | 24-26 June
Pop the 24-26 June in your diary, and get cracking on booking some accommodation down south as the new Manjimup Truffle and Wine Festival will showcase the best local producers and makers with truffle tours, gourmet degustation dinners, dog hunts, farm visits, wine tastings, entertainment and wine masterclasses.
Bistro Guillaume Masterclass Wine Dinner Series
Burswood | 30 June and 28 July
If you’re a lover of all things food and wine, you need to get yourself to one of these masterclasses pronto. Sit back and indulge in a four course dinner menu at Bistro Guillaume while Crown’s Sommelier Michele takes you on a journey of wine with six wine tastings and as much knowledge as you could possibly absorb. The masterclasses cover five different areas of the oh-so loved beverage—the french classics, sparkling, European underdogs, the new wines of the world and those from our very own backyard. After a sell out series last year, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Coming Up
Tour De Freo
Fremantle | Saturdays in July
If you managed to get along to the iconic William Street Long Lunch, you'll have some idea of just how epic a progressive lunch through some of the city's best venues can be. Well, the brand new Tour De Freo is giving anyone South Of The River an excuse to hit the pavement this July.
This feast is by no means fancy, but it's bound to be downright tasty. You'll kickstart the day at the cool retro gaming bar, Palace Arcade, for a fat New York slice and your choice of either their Chi Chi Spritz, Apple Pie Sour or Cherry Ripe Espresso Martini. You'll then head on down to Pretzel for a little snack before making your way to Baller's sports bar for a cheeky cheeseburger or karaage chicken sandwich with fries and a tap beer. Once done, roll yourself to the final stop, San Churros, for classic, homemade churros with your choice of dipping sauce and a hot drink that will no doubt help you drift swiftly into a food coma forever more. It'll set you back $60 for the whole lot, with extra drinks available for purchase throughout. Tickets are available here.
Artisans Of The Republic
Fremantle | July - October
After a sell-out series of delectable dinners paired with crushable and creative cocktails, Artisans Of The Republic is back for another run of indulgent produce-focussed evenings. Settle in at Freo's fave distillery for a celebration of unique WA flavours over four four-course dinners taking place from this July to October, each showcasing a different local artisan. This year's lineup includes Fins Seafood, Offshoot Coffee, The Mushroom Guys and Dirty Clean Food, who together with award-winning head Chef Emily Jones will serve up an unforgettable feast accompanied by paired drinks carefully crafted by Republic's rockstar bar team. We scored a seat to one of last year's dinners and it was hands down one of the food highlights of the year, so we suggest you grab tickets here—they won't last long!
Truffle And Fire Dinner Series At TOMA
Perth | 7 and 28 July
Winter is getting that little bit more opulent with help from our old mate truffles and TOMA's casual fine dining flair. Fire and earth team up for three distinct five-course dinners all centred around the black gold found by Gavin and the team at Australian Truffle Traders in Manjimup. Each decadent dinner will be matched with wines from a top Aussie winery, kicking off with Bekkers wines from McClaren Vale on Thursday 16 June. Get booking here.
Long Chim's Hot Gin Terrace
Perth | 14-30 July
A basement firepit, some spice-filled theatrics and a heavy dash of red hot gin—yep, Long Chim's Hot Gin Terrace is back in force this winter. You'll be whisked down to their cosy courtyard complete with heaters and hot water bottles (nobody is getting a chill here) where State Buildings Beverage Manager, Eoin Kenny, and Mitch Gurrin from Archie Rose Distilling Co. will be crafting hot gin cocktails over the fire just for you. If you haven't tried one of these hot gins made by plunging a red hot poker fresh off the fire right into your drink, consider this a winter must. The heat caramelises the sugars and there's nothing quite like it on a cold night. There are five fiery and beautifully boozy sessions on offer from July 14-30, including a special meet the distiller session which includes a whole Maa Long Chim feast. Book here.
Disney's Frozen The Musical
Burswood | August
Warm up your vocal chords, musical lovers, because Frozen The Broadway Musical is coming to Crown Theatre this August, and you are going to want to sing along at the top of your lungs. Yep, the incredible stage version of the iconic Disney movie is coming our way, after seasons in both Sydney and Melbourne. You could try protesting that you’re way too old to be catching a Disney musical, but we know that secretly you know every word to ‘Let It Go’ and harbour fantasies of living in an ice castle.
Whether you’re six or 36, this production from the producers of Aladdin, The Lion King and Mary Poppins is bound to be a magical experience—there’s a reason it was the highest grossing new musical of its Broadway season in its first year on Broadway.
If you sign up to the waitlist, you’ll get access to the pre-sale starting at 9am on Monday 30 May—which we recommend, as tickets to this are going to go fast.
Froth Town
Claremont | 19-20 August
Beer aficionados, listen up. Froth Town is making its return to Claremont Showground this August, and with COVID restrictions out of the way, the brilliant two-day brew fest is bigger and better than ever.
What's changed? Aside from there being more brews than ever, including some exclusive frothies just for the fest, the iconic IPA Glass you get with every ticket will be back, so you can add that to your home bar collection. But most exciting, this year sees the return of live music! And they've gone and lined up an ACDC Tribute Band and Daryl Braithwaite himself to really bring the good time vibes.
If you were among the thousands of punters that sipped your way through last year’s festival, you’ll be familiar with all the other good stuff returning. A diverse selection of bevvies from over 75 breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries, next-level food truck eats, carnival games and hilarious entertainment such as sumo wrestling, giant beer pong and even a dad bod wet t-shirt competition. Tickets are on sale now.
Listen Out
Joondalup | 25 September
Festivals are back baby! As Australia's leading dance fest, Listen Out well and truly has your post-COVID boog covered. This year's lineup features first ever Australian shows for Young Thug, Polo G, Central Cee, 24kGoldn, Louis The Child, Doechii, LP Giobbi and Nia Archives, plus favourites Disclosure and Tove Lo, as well as Chris Lake and Chris Lorenzo’s Anti Up live show world premiere, and so much more. Grab tickets and get hyped for the summer festivals to come.
Need Some More Ideas? We Got You.
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- Book the ultimate staycay at Perth's best boutique hotels
- Catch up on the Perth food news you missed
Not enough? Check out more awesome things to do in Perth.
Image credit: Elle Borgward, Supplied