Perth Is OK

One of Fremantle’s favourite summer traditions is just around the corner, with Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre unveiling the full 2026-27 lineup for its free Sunday Music concert series. Returning on Sunday 18 October, the series will bring 19 afternoons of live music to the Arts Centre’s Front Garden, showcasing everything from hip hop and reggae to blues, soul and experimental sounds.

One of WA’s most sought-after beers is making its annual return next Friday, with Feral Brewing’s legendary Tusk Day taking over 10 Perth pubs on October 16. Now more than 20 years old, the annual beer pilgrimage sees the local brewery produce just 10 kegs of its limited-release Tusk beer, which are hand-delivered to select venues and tapped immediately. And if previous years are anything to go by, beer lovers will need to get in quick, with kegs typically running dry within hours.

There are plenty of opportunities to get a fix of international culture without leaving Perth, as more film festivals are about to hit our screens. From the latest Japanese and Irish cinema to Jewish and Polish stories, plus a month-long celebration of British film, there’s plenty to see across drama, comedy, horror, documentaries, anime and more.

We’ve been obsessed with more than our fair share of retro homes – and arguably have a higher-than-average tolerance for all the quirks and eccentricities of the authentic homes of the era. But… What if we still love all the modern bells and whistles? Yes, yes, we know – retro purists will balk at the mere thought! But in our defence: have you seen this gorgeous Swanbourne home, completed in 2025?

A new strategy aimed at revitalising WA’s night-time economy could see stronger requirements for local artists to support major international acts touring the State. The State Government released its first Night-Time Economy Strategy on Friday, aimed at boosting after-dark activity across hospitality, entertainment, tourism and the arts.

Raising the Bar returns on Tuesday 27 October, bringing 10 UWA researchers into venues around Perth for a series of free talks spanning artificial intelligence, health, agriculture, the environment and some of the bigger questions facing WA and the world. And while the format is deliberately relaxed, the research behind the conversations is anything but lightweight.

The Rugby League World Cup returns to Australia and the Pacific with matches across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, bringing together three World Cups – men’s, women’s and wheelchair – with 26 teams from 16 nations competing across 51 matches over five weeks. And Perth is hosting two huge double-header matches at HBF Park on Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 October 2026.

PICA hosts the launch of Shannon Lyons’ new publication Cafe coming soon. The publication brings together documentation of six key site-responsive projects spanning 15 years of Lyons’ practice, the publication features newly commissioned writing on recurring concerns in her work, including the legacy of institutional critique, the gallery as a social and economic space, and the ways forms can reveal the gallery as a charged and malleable environment.

PICA opens one of its final exhibits for 2026 with a series of artist-in-conversations led by Circular Economies curator, Miranda Johnson. Arising from socially-embedded artist residencies across regional Western Australia between 2024 and 2026, the exhibition uses photography, video, textiles and installation, to explore the social, cultural and ecological relationships that sustain regional communities.

PICA opens one of its final exhibitions of 2026 with Cafe coming soon, a major mid-career survey exhibition by Western Australian artist Shannon Lyons. To celebrate the opening, PICA curator Georgia Hayward joins Lyons in conversation for a special artist talk, discussing key works from across her practice and reflecting on how her approach has evolved over the past 20 years.