What is the AWESOME Festival?
The AWESOME Festival has reunited with Barking Gecko Arts to continue bringing transformative arts experiences to young audiences across Western Australia. The AWESOME Festival’s mission is to provide ever-expanding opportunities for Western Australia’s children to actively engage with the arts and intensify their connectivity with the broader world in which they live.
Every year we present the AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things in Perth during the September School Holidays for children aged 0-12. The AWESOME Festival is a world-class arts festival that brings colour and excitement every year through a kaleidoscope of performances, workshops, exhibitions, activities and events.
2025 AWESOME Festival dates:
Perth: Tuesday 30 September – Saturday 4 October
2025 AWESOME Festival Hubs dates:
Kwinana: Saturday 20 September
Esperance: Tuesday 30 September – Saturday 4 October
Beverley: Tuesday 7 October – Wednesday 8 October
Hopetoun: Tuesday 7 October – Tuesday 14 October
Aliwah Bardinar!
Tues 30 Sept – Thurs 2 Oct, 11am & 1:30pm
Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA
Good things come to those who wait!
Discover Aliwah Bardinar! a captivating new children’s show from Breaksea, written by award-winning composers Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse. Dive into the enchanting nyttiny (creation) story of how the Bardinar (Western Rosella) got its vibrant colours!
Ballet Storytime Adventures
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am, 11am & 12pm (FREE, registrations required)
Geographe Room, State Theatre Library of WA
Step into enchanting worlds of beloved stories with West Australian Ballet’s Storytime Adventures, exclusively at AWESOME Festival! Through a mixture of storytelling and movement, let us take your child on a journey designed to capture your child’s curiosity and love of dance. This fun and interactive adventure will help make all children’s dancing dreams come true.
Boodja Barna: Land Creatures with Jayden Boundry
Fri 3 Oct, 11am
The Story Place, State Library of WA
Join Noongar language teacher and cultural consultant Jayden Boundry for an enriching workshop celebrating Boodja Barna: Land Creatures, part of his Noongar First Words series. This beautiful picture book introduces babies and toddlers to Australian animals through their traditional Noongar names – Yongka (Kangaroo), Weitj (Emu), and Nyingarn (Echidna).
The Change Maker Tent
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Kids’ Voices Matter! You have big ideas, kind hearts and strong voices. When you speak up about what’s fair, what’s kind, or what needs fixing, grown-ups listen. That’s what the Change Maker Tent is all about – helping you to use your voice to make the world better.
Join No Place for Poverty in a welcoming space to explore an important issue facing lots of West Aussies, you’ll find the tools to speak out against poverty in WA and join in a simple but powerful way to be part of the solution.
FREE! No tickets required.
Crafty Bears
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Get crafty with textile artist Annick Akanni and discover the magic of textile art in this bear-themed creative space. Come along and learn new skills and explore creative textile techniques.
FREE! No tickets required.
The Feetbus
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 11am and 1pm
Perth Cultural Centre Walkway
The Feetbus is a box with bicycle wheels that looks like a bus. As soon as people see it, they get into the game and often rush to catch a ride.
The absurdity of this spectacle sends people into fits of laughter and brings an atmosphere of fun and silliness to any event.
FREE! No tickets required.
Leave Your Mark
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 12pm – 5pm
PICA, Forrest Chase, (Level 3, 401 Wellington Street)
Step inside Leave Your Mark, a colourful exhibition created by Koondoola Primary School students celebrating community, diversity, and imagination. Explore vibrant self-portraits, then join the fun — make your own decorated handprint and add it to a growing artwork that shows how our unique stories connect us all.
FREE! No tickets required.
Messy Bears
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Our Big Bears love messy art, so help us decorate them. Paint, collage and draw on our bears. Then take some time to make quiet art in our squishy corner. Draw small bears and sculpt teeny, tiny bears from clay. A joyful space for children under 5 to express themselves.
FREE! No tickets required.
The Quadrangle
Fri 3 Oct & Sat 4 Oct, 10am and 1pm
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA
The Quadrangle is a unique verbatim theatre performance that explores the candid perspectives of young people. In this production, actors present live interviews with children, and relay the words exactly as they hear them, without any embellishment. Accompanied by live music, this performance captures the raw, heartfelt, and humorous insights of children as they share their views on life, the world, and their dreams for the future. The show inspires reflection on the value of young voices and their often-profound wisdom.
Ribbon Dancing
Thurs 2 – Fri 3 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Key Assets believes all children and young people deserve to thrive and connect to family, community, and culture through creative expression and the arts.
Join Key Assets for a joyful ribbon dancing experience! Children will receive their own ribbon and learn basic figures, including spirals, circles, and snakes. This engaging activity encourages imagination, creative self-expression, and develops coordination and flexibility.
FREE! No tickets required.
SeamTogether
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am, 11:15am, 12:30pm and 1:45pm
Courtyard, State Theatre Centre
Meet Polly and Esther, two unexpected modern-day superheroes, who travel the world in their menagerie gathering clothing and stories. They are on a mission to seam together the old into the new and reduce the clothing footprint on our planet.
The Seamstresses menagerie is fuelled by your stories, along with ‘Esme’ the eighty-year-old crank sewing machine.
FREE! Tickets available at the venue on the day.
Spontaneous Stories with James Foley
Wed 1 Oct & Fri 3 Oct, 11:15am
Education Room, State Library of WA
Join James Foley for a laugh-out-loud session where the kids are in charge. Bring your weirdest and wackiest ideas for stories, because we’ll be mashing them up into the funniest Franken-tale you’ve ever heard – which James will illustrate, live.
Storyteller in Residence
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
The Story Place, State Library of WA
Join the amazing Glenn Swift, a storyteller and host, for an exciting time at the Story Place located on the mezzanine of the State Library of WA and around the Teddy Bear’s Garden. Come and enjoy stories, books, rhymes, and fun literary events. Immerse yourself in the beautiful world of words and take part in creating and sharing stories together. Everyone is welcome!
FREE! No tickets required.
Teddy Bear Story Time with Renae Hayward
Tues 30 Sept, 10am
The Story Place, State Theatre Library of WA
Grab your teddy bears and your grown-ups for a special story time for little kids! Join Renae Hayward and her teddy, Harriet, for some nursery rhyme fun and a reading of her latest book, Say Goodnight.
Walking With You
Weds 1 Oct, 10:45am, 12:15pm & 12:45pm
Thurs 2 Oct – Fri 3 Oct, 12:15pm & 12:45pm
The Story Place, State Library of WA
It’s all about the laces! Join professional shoelace-tiers, Sockodile and Twinkletoes, on an exciting adventure to help Jasper learn to tie their shoelaces.
This interactive and educational journey devised by graduating students Ionia Venoutsos, Enya Lippert and Georgia Langenberg of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts, is a perfect opportunity to learn a new skill while meeting some fun and exciting characters along the way!
FREE! No tickets required.
Weaving Wildlife Magic into Adventure Writing
Sat 4 Oct, 11am
The Story Place, State Library of WA
Award-winning author Deb Fitzpatrick loves weaving Australian wildlife into her adventure stories and creating young characters who make a difference. This workshop will explore how young writers can fuel their fiction with things that fascinate them in real life.
Your AWESOME Moment
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Share your AWESOME moment! Visit our bright red “wishing line” and tell us what made the Festival special for you. Write or draw your favourite memory, feeling, or story, then hang it up to join a colourful display of the joy, wonder, and creativity we’ve shared together.
FREE! No tickets required.
Artist in Residence: Harvey Arnephie-Cooke
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Studio Underground Foyer, State Theatre Centre of WA
Harvey Arnephie-Cook is a 23-year-old artist from Perth, living in the northern suburbs. He is self-taught and mainly works with ceramics and digital art. Harvey has been drawing since he was a child, and he loves to tell stories through his art. He takes inspiration from anime, mythology, folklore, and comic books, creating a unique mix of bold visuals and engaging narratives.
His work showcases a blend of storytelling, emotion, and visual creativity, making him a promising new voice in contemporary art.
FREE! No tickets required.
Book an Adventure – 80 Years of Australian Stories for Children
Sat 16 Aug – Thurs 15 Jan
The Story Place Gallery, State Library of WA
To celebrate 80 years of the Children’s Book Council of Australia championing children’s literature, Book an Adventure! is an exhibition presenting a captivating collection of original picture book artwork from the State Library’s Peter Williams Collection.
Step into a world where stories leap off the page and imagination knows no bounds. From timeless tales to modern favourites, journey through the rich and wondrous worlds found in the pages of Australia’s best-loved children’s books.
FREE! No tickets required.
Caity and the Crocodile
Weds 1 Oct – Fri 3 Oct, 10am & 11:30am
Ground Floor Theatre, State Library of WA
Experience the magic of Caity and the Crocodile, a vibrant Australian twist on Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, brought to life by the trailblazing Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Follow adventurous Caity and her Granddad “Pop” on a journey through the stunning Kimberley, where music and storytelling unite to inspire young imaginations. This captivating performance introduces children to orchestral instruments while celebrating Australia’s unique culture and biodiversity.
Classic Adventures: Witches & Wizards
Sat 4 Oct 11:30am & 1:30pm
Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre
Magic and mischief for the whole family!
Get ready for a spellbinding symphonic event! Grab your capes and wands as WASO whisks you away on an enchanting journey through magical worlds. With thrilling music from Harry Potter, Wicked, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Stravinsky’s Firebird, this concert promises an unforgettable experience filled with wizardry and wonder!
Drip Drop Play
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 9:30am, 11am & 12:30pm
Rehearsal Room, State Theatre Centre of WA
Drip Drop Play is a calming and beautiful experience for you and your child featuring an immersive world of water and ice. Join our presenters Drip and Drop as they take you through enchanting spaces that leave room for discovery and creativity with your little one. There are some short performances from the musician facilitators, but mostly space for you to create and explore in the space together. You can expect to leave feeling inspired with ways to make music and sound using water in your own kitchen and backyard!
Kids Market
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
The AWESOME Kids’ Market is back! The next generation of local young creatives and entrepreneurs have been bust creating a vast array of homemade creations which they will have on sale throughout the festival.
Come along and check out all the glorious goods on offer!
FREE! No tickets required.
Little Impressions
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Foyer, State Theatre Centre of WA
What is curiosity? How does it shape our future?
In 2025, we asked children from schools across Western Australia, “What makes you curious?” Participants were invited to explore the world around them, channelling their creative energies into designing their own unique artworks for this special exhibition.
FREE! No tickets required.
Oddysea
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10:30am & 1:30pm
Middar Room, State Theatre Centre of WA
Join Crab and Turtle for this fun-filled immersive journey into an undersea world, created for children with disability and suitable for the whole family.
Set in a beautiful ocean installation, there’s plenty for your child to see, hear, smell, touch and taste as the story unfolds around them.
Sensorium Theatre specialises in creating inclusive theatre experiences, taking the whole family on an exciting journey beneath the sea!
Reasons to Stay Inside
Tues 30 Sept, 10am & 6pm
Wed 1 Oct & Thu 2 Oct, 10am & 1pm
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA
Pedro used to run, skateboard, and go to school. Now he stays inside building an epic pillow fort called ‘The Death Star.’ His best friend Flora knows what he’s missing and will do whatever it takes to help him find his way back outside.
Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping
Tues 30 Sept, 12pm
Ground Floor Theatre, State Library of WA
Award-winning author Craig Silvey is back with the much-anticipated sequel to his highly acclaimed, best-selling family favourite, Runt.
Join the State Library of Western Australia for this special event to celebrate the launch of Craig Silvey’s brilliant new novel. Enjoy a lively author talk and Q&A, with the chance to purchase your own copy of this delightful sequel and have it personally signed.
Skills and Thrills Circus Play
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Courtyard, State Theatre Centre
Do you have what it takes to be a circus performer? Festival favourites Yip Yip Circus are back to teach you what it takes. Learn some new tricks and wow your family and friends with new circus skills!
FREE! No tickets required.
State Theatre Centre Creative Activities
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Courtyard and Heath Ledger Theatre Foyer, State Theatre Centre
Explore free creative fun for the whole family in the Heath Ledger Theatre foyer and State Theatre Centre courtyard. Take part in hands-on activities inspired by Reasons to Stay Inside and Aliwah Bardinar!
FREE! No tickets required.
Teddy Bears Tea Party
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am – 3pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
Join artist Kate Page for an enchanting Teddy Bear’s Tea Party in the Tea Party Marquee! Children are encouraged to bring their teddy bears or cuddly friends for creative adventures and unforgettable fun with their grown-ups
FREE! No tickets required.
Uptown Brown
Tues 30 Sept – Sat 4 Oct, 10am, 12pm and 2pm
Teddy Bear’s Garden, Urban Orchard
‘Uptown’ Brown! is a singing gentleman-adventurer performing a program of primitive 1920s-1930s jazz and blues on a self-invented one-man band. His contraption is built from cedar, leather and brass, whilst vocals & fingerpicked ukulele are amplified through old megaphones, mimicking the effect of a 78 record.
FREE! No tickets required.
The Wanjoo Big Sing
Wed 1 Oct, 2:45pm (FREE, registrations required)
Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA
Wanjoo is a fantastic way of learning some Noongar language and a great reminder that the AWESOME Festival takes place in Boorloo (Perth) which is Whadjuk Noongar Country.
In partnership with AWESOME Festival, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse warmly invite you to join them for The Wanjoo Big Sing at the Heath Ledger Theatre.
Tune up your tonsils and join them to sing this beautiful song and be part of a 500-voice singalong that celebrates Noongar language and culture.
You’re Too Little with Katie Stewart
Thu 2 Oct, 11am
The Story Place, State Library of WA
Katie Stewart will read her latest book, You’re Too Little. Then there will be games involving puppets, bringing out the themes of the book (believing in yourself, knowing your strengths and giving a goal everything you have). A craft activity will follow, making a pygmy possum by colouring, cutting out and gluing.