Various Workshop Future Treasures: Workshops Future Treasures is a hands-on workshop series designed for aspiring young musicians who are ready to take the next step in their musical journey. Across four interactive sessions, participants will gain practical insights into the music industry—from releasing original music and recording in a professional studio to performing live and connecting with industry bookers. Led by experienced artists and music professionals, Future Treasures provides a supportive environment where young musicians can build confidence, develop industry knowledge, and create meaningful connections that will help shape their future in music.
Daily between Aug 20-30 Exhibition 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 Nyugen and Clare Peake, as well as works by Mabel Juli (Gija), Chantal Fraser, Beverly Thomson (Yamatji) and Katie West (Yindjibarndi). Co-curated by Zali Morgan (Whadjuk Balladong and Wilman Noongar) and Abigail Moncrieff
Daily between Aug 20-30 Storytelling Map of Memories | Chin Wagon 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. Find the Chin Wagon: Sat 22 Aug | Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre | 10am–2pm Sun 23 Aug | Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre | 10am–2pm Tue 25 Aug | Stevens Reserve | 7am–11am Wed 26 Aug | Fremantle Leisure Centre | 8am–12pm Thu 27 Aug | Port Beach | 6.30am–10.30am Fri 28 Aug | Princess May Park | 12pm–4pm 15-minute sessions. Bring a photograph if you have one.
Daily between Aug 20-30 Exhibition 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.
21 August, 22 August Installation In The Block Universe Step inside In The Block Universe, an immersive performance where music, film, animation and projection dissolve the boundaries between audience and stage. At the heart of the experience is a transparent cube, transformed by four-sided projections into a shifting world of light, sound and illusion. Blending Myriad Sun’s signature experimental music with 3D mapping, performance art and audience interaction, this surreal multimedia work invites you into a space where reality bends and imagination takes over. A bold, sensory experience unlike anything else. 2 Performances 21 Aug: 8.00-9.00pm 22nd Aug: 8.00-9.00pm
22 August Theatre A Magical Guide to Fighting Fascism “I look out on the Indian ocean, wonder: was I ever supposed to be here? Doesn’t feel like my feet fit here. No ancestors here. ¿Cómo llegué aquí? [How did I get here?]” Three women, three time periods, three regimes: one family full of secrets. An epic musical journey following three women in three places as they discover untold family truths. Based on fascinating historical events – the Chilean dictatorship, Scottish trade unionists, and the second generation Australian experience. Be transported magically between worlds as mysterious, tyrannical forces try to keep these women apart. Enter angry mermaids, wise trees, and messages travelling on the wind that whips the sand dunes. Expect music, humour, and a dash of history, as you are guided on a multicultural voyage to discover what happens to families when secrets are buried and memories are lost at sea.
23 August Music Future Treasures Future Treasures showcases emerging local artists whose voices are shaping the future of contemporary music, culminating in a headline performance by indie folk-pop trio The Stamps. Known for their luminous harmonies, heartfelt songwriting and magnetic live shows, The Stamps have quickly become one of Australia’s most exciting young bands. Discover the artists you’ll be talking about for years to come Calling all young bands!!! We’re looking for talented musicians under 18 to perform at Future Treasures alongside indie faves The Stamps! Successful bands will spend the morning working with The Stamps before a huge performance at Victoria Hall on SUN 23 AUG. To apply, send an email to festival@fremantle.wa.gov.au with the following info: Band name Number of members Genre/style of music At least 2 photos A video or audio sample of your music Applications are open now!!
25 August Film Out Loud and On Screen: DADAA AN/OTHER Film Screening Experience a powerful collection of short films that place people with disability at the heart of storytelling. Presented by DADAA, this special screening explores the theme of Huddle through stories of belonging, resilience and connection. Featuring films by and about people with disability from Fremantle and across Australia, the program celebrates the people and places that offer refuge, understanding and strength, while inviting audiences to see the world through fresh perspectives. Stay after the screening for a Q&A with curator Sarah Collins.
27 August Dance The Genesis Project Dark, witty and witchy, The Genesis Project is a gut-wrenching contemporary dance work about the monstrous embodiment of womanhood. Performed by six captivating dancers, this cinematic production blends contemporary dance, fantastical visual design and sound designed by David Stewart with music composed by Great Statue (Annika Moses). Together, the performers conjure a world that is at once haunting and fiercely transformative, exploring autonomy and the expectations on women to shape-shift. An unforgettable evening of dance that lingers long after the final curtain.
29 August Food Feast & Fire As night falls over Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre, effigies and sculptures blaze to life alongside the firing of Stewart Scambler’s dragon kiln—a monumental ceramic kiln built especially for the festival. Surrounded by flames, music and shared tables, experience a feast inspired by cultures from around the world, with Patagonian lamb and vegetarian barbecue, Pacific Island pig on the spit and giant paella served fresh from the fire. Galleries open late. With live music from Red Earth Sound System and large-scale fire sculptures illuminating the night, Feast & Fire is a celebration of creativity, community and coming together.
29 August, 30 August Performance The RAFT When a luxury cruise goes spectacularly wrong, a group of unlikely survivors must learn to navigate life together on a single raft. Created and performed by CircusWA’s Youth Academy, The RAFT is a thrilling blend of circus, physical theatre and dark comedy. As friendships are tested and tensions rise, extraordinary acrobatics and inventive storytelling unfold in a hilarious and unpredictable tale of survival, boredom and betrayal. Fast-paced, funny and full of surprises, The RAFT is a celebration of resilience, resourcefulness and what happens when we’re all in the same boat. 3 Performances 29th Aug: 7.00pm – 8.00pm 30th Aug: 1.00pm – 2.00pm + 6.00pm – 7.00pm
29 August Workshop Devising with Myth & Folklore Workshop This workshop explores ways of taking a story off the page and finding ways to present it live. Participants will work with two stories: La Voladora (Flying Woman) from Chilean folklore and Yedua from Jewish mythology. It includes playing with the voice and body, understanding narrative structure, and ways for developing confidence with performing! The session will look a little like this: Fun Icebreaker and Improvisation Activities Finding and interpreting the meaning or essence of a story Identifying key themes, ideas, and literary devices Gentle warming up of the body through games and ensemble activities Playing with Voice and Body to create character including gesture and repetition Stagecraft – strong and weak positions on stage, composition of space Staging key moments through tableaux (frozen images) Participants should come in comfortable clothes and bring water bottles. Paper and pens will be provided. About the Stories THE YEDUA The Yedua is a creature made from vines, leaves and roots. Violent and territorial, it attacks anything within reach and consumes all nearby vegetation. Its bones are prized in witchcraft: held in the mouth during certain incantations, they are said to reveal the future. LA VOLADORA (FLYING WOMAN) La Voladora is a witch who transforms into a heron or crow to carry secrets between witches. To fly, she vomits her intestines into a hidden bucket before taking bird form. At night, she travels through the air shrieking and cackling, bringing misfortune and death to those who hear her. Before sunrise, she must retrieve and replace her organs to become human again. If they are lost, she remains trapped as a bird and soon dies.
25 August, 26 August Music 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.
