10 Nights in Port
Ten nights, one port city
10 Nights in Port | Walyalup Fremantle Festival is an annual celebration of arts, music, performance and community. For ten nights, the port city hosts a vibrant program of events and entertainment for all ages. Known by several names throughout its long history, 10 Nights in Port is widely recognised as one of Australia’s oldest recorded festivals, reflecting the evolving story of Fremantle and its people.
THIS WINTER
Events
In our hands, we hold
Driven by artists whose practices centre on weaving as the physical object, by using traditional methods or materials and artists who explore weaving as an intangible idea and metaphor, these portals, baskets, and vessels are shaped by the subjectivity and truth-telling of the artists. Knowledge shared and moments of coming together, In our hands, we hold makes space for the ancient, embodied and contemporary stories and practices that become interwoven. Foregrounding the work of First Nations women, the exhibition extends to artists who share a relationship to ancestral stories and recent family histories. Objects and presented practices speak to generosity and understandings of time that are constantly in flux and motion, referring to artist knowledges and processes, ways of understanding the world and shaping our place in it. The exhibition brings together new work by artists Lorraine Connelly-Northey (Waradgerie), Sharyn Egan (Whadjuk Nyoongar), Brett Nannup (Noongar artist with ancestral ties to the Binjareb and Wilman peoples), James Nguyen and Clare Peake, as well as works by Mabel Juli (Gija), Chantal Fraser, Beverly Thompson (Yamatji) and Katie West (Yindjibarndi).
Nullians
Nullians is a satirical exhibition by Noongar artist Kamsani Bin Salleh that examines the ideologies underpinning Australia as an extraction colony. Through comic-style illustrations, Bin Salleh explores complex histories of colonisation, identity and power with humour, wit and disarming simplicity. The exhibition centres on the Nullians—formless, expressive characters whose name references the colonial fiction of “land belonging to no one.” These figures are simultaneously no one and everyone: the artist and the observer, the First Nations person and the settler, the coloniser and the colonised, the status quo and those pushed to its margins. Through their conversations, they invite audiences to question inherited narratives and consider the ongoing impacts of colonialism. Originally created out of necessity to articulate the artist’s perspective, the Nullians first appeared as drawings on discarded paper, receipts and tissues before finding an audience through social media. These self-published works have since gained national recognition, with selections exhibited alongside Australia’s leading political cartoonists at the Museum of Australian Democracy. Using humour as a vehicle for difficult conversations, Nullians navigates subjects ranging from everyday microaggressions to genocide, weaving together historical events and contemporary popular culture. The result is a body of work that makes challenging ideas accessible while prompting reflection on Australia’s past and present.
Chin Wagon | Map of Memories
Every place is shaped by the stories people leave behind. Join celebrated storyteller Andrea Gibbs as she sets up her Chin Wagon in locations across Walyalup, inviting locals and visitors alike to share their memories of Fremantle—whether they’re funny, heartfelt, unexpected or deeply personal. These conversations will become part of the Map of Memories, a growing digital archive celebrating the people, places and moments that make this port city so unique. Together, they create a living portrait of Walyalup, woven from the voices of its community.
Tides
Set within the atmospheric surrounds of the WA Shipwrecks Museum, Tides is an immersive performance where music, moving image and maritime history converge. Led by acclaimed musician Lucky Oceans, the performance flows between composed works and spontaneous improvisation, responding to the mood of the evening and the enduring presence of the Batavia stern. Projected directly onto the stern, striking imagery by Shipwreck Hunters Australia producer and director Brendan Hutchens transforms the historic vessel into a living canvas, illuminating stories from beneath the sea. Like the tides themselves, no two performances are ever quite the same—an unforgettable encounter with music, history and place. 25th 6:00pm:Tickets 26th 6:00pm:Tickets 26th 8:00pm:Tickets Make a night of it Strange Company is offering a special three-course seafood-inspired menu on 25 and 26 August, with a cocktail on arrival and sittings timed for a pre- or post-show meal. The menu is inspired by Tides and is booked separately from the performance. To reserve a table, visit the Strange Company website, select your preferred date and time, and choose the ‘10 Nights in Port’ option when booking.
10 NIGHTS IN PORT 2025
Moments from the port