Over 10 nights and days from 15-25 July, Fremantle will come alive in a feast of culture and storytelling with the voices of Western Australian people, places, cultures and environments taking centre stage in the hidden nooks, crannies and behind the historical facades of our wonderful Port City.
With a host of contemporary music, dance, installations, live performances and rituals carefully curated to warm the soul and enliven the senses, City of Fremantle’s Arts and Culture Manager Kathryn Taylor is encouraging festival goers to seIle in and soak up this unique, local cultural experience.
“Every element of the 10 Nights in Port is carefully woven out of the fabric and the stories of Fremantle and the wider WA community. The people, the place and the tales of our colourful city will be coming together over 10 amazing days and nights in Port,” said Taylor.
From large-scale participatory events to immersive experiences, the program consists of a series of events celebra5ng some of the very best talents in WA.
The dance history of Fremantle will be celebrated boldly in Epic Dance – a visual and physical feast that embraces all dance forms. From First Nation’s cultural dance and Bhangra through to Dancehall and contemporary dance, workshops will culminate in an EPIC DANCE party reflecting, exchanging and celebrating cultural forms across all dance genres. Cultural leaders, digital producers, community members and choreographers will join a mass collaboration that finds its rhythm as a shared experience.
Winter’s wild environments are also embraced in the festival program with audiences invited to submerge themselves in Soak & Steam – a series of outdoor hot baths and steam rooms designed to allow festival goers the chance to unwind, embrace the winter cold and watch the world go by in Fremantle’s glorious coastal landscape.
On the fashion front and generating their own voltage with their stable of unmatched WA artists is Deadly Denim. The sensational and high energy First Nation’s fashion event will celebrate local designers Tia Semi – Funk N Soul 97 and Rebecca Rickard. Showcasing Aboriginal, Maori and Pacific Islander culture through fashion and dance, this runway event includes collections from both internationally showcased and local emerging designers.
Back for its eleventh year, the highly successful Hidden Treasures rocks on, with the renowned winter music series live for two sensational and jam-packed Thursdays as part of 10 Nights in Port. Featuring 35 acts specially selected from our talented state, Hidden Treasures is an institution that showcases the musical wealth of WA in all its isolated glory, diversity and talented power.
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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTSHabitats and Homes
Sunday 18, Friday 23 & Saturday 24 July
Partnering with schools and community groups including White Gum Valley Primary School, Hilton Primary School, Fremantle Primary School and SHAC, Habitats and Homes is a visual exploration of the future of native animal lives in the Fremantle area. Capturing the reflections of young people in Fremantle and sharing their visions for the future, Habitats and Homes considers wild neighbourhoods and finds out who calls what and where home.
Sunset Pitches
Thursday 15 – Sun 25 July
Each night of Sunset Pitches is a different contempla5on of our place on the Indian Ocean – raw sets, new collaborations, acoustic songs in first languages, innovative works for artists and audiences. Farewell the day at 5:45pm and welcome each new gliIery night over the dark harbour.
Each dusk takes in the glowing ride of the sun into the sea in a visual and aural ritual that pulls on the nightly thread of the new day to come. Every night sings a unique story unfolding human voices into the twilight.
Bin Night
Friday 23 July
Part performance night, part deranged talk show – Bin Night washes up on the shores of Walyalup and rolls into PSAS to prove that one person’s trash really is another’s treasure.
Starring Binsey Lohan – freshly emptied and taking up space in the centre spotlight, and your trash bag hosts: Jamal and Rose KB – who spray ‘n wipe the stage clean between acts. With a slew of special guests, familiar and fresh faces – some you’ve never seen and some you may never see again. All steer clear of recycled material – with all sets straight out of the bag alongside dusty old ideas that haven’t seen the light of day, un5l now.
Cosy up for a night of raw and unpolished jokes, with interviews, stories, and music, and prepare to sani5se your hands, not your mind. Leave your rubbish behaviour at the door – don’t make them take out the trash.
Off Chops
Saturday 24 July
Hold me tight, Hydralyte. From the creators of multi-award winning YUCK Circus comes a party fit for a pop-up tent.
Offchops is the West Aussie production company’s new work championing the female voice across live performance. Drawn from regional, remote, and isolated towns from all corners of Australia, this strong crew of acrobatic gals is not just throwing around women’s issues, but literally throwing women.
Expect a wild time reminiscent of the dance floor cardio you never knew you needed, and the 3am stagger home you couldn’t avoid. Come along for a riot of comedy, high-flying acrobatics, and trashy dancing, but drink plenty of water, it’s gonna get sweaty.
Underneath/Overlooked – Bonded and Resilient Exhibition & Workshops
Friday 16 – Sun 25 July
Artist Penny Bovell and Gabrielle HowleI team up to produce an art installation and community exhibition that focusses on a liIle known Freo heritage story. Postwar Italian immigrants Giuseppe and Anna Scolaro from Capo d’Orlando founded the Universal Tile Factory once located in Blinco Street Fremantle (c1950-1973). Giuseppe, a skilful and talented artisan, produced a range of decorative terrazzo tiles that combine vibrant mixes of pigment and Italian marble, complex patterns and patinas that become more lustrous with age.
Underneath/Overlooked began as a search for the remaining houses and civic buildings still blessed with these special floors and became an exhibition that celebrates Giuseppe and Anna’s contribu5on to the design heritage of Fremantle.
Terrazzo Workshop
In associa5on with the exhibition, workshops on making terrazzo tiles with an experimental edge will be offered by Margaret Dillon from Concreto. Over two weekends learn the basics terrazzo and make your own piece to take home. Limited spaces available.
Epic Dance – Live Event
Saturday 17 July
Epic Dance is a visual and physical celebra5on of the dance history of Fremantle. Embracing First Nation’s cultural dance to Dance Hall to contemporary dance. EPIC DANCE celebrates cultural forms across all dance genres. Cultural leaders, digital producers, community members and choreographers join a mass collaboration that finds its rhythm as a shared experience.
AND THERE’S SO MUCH MORE!
Look here for the full program and the links to all performances and gigs and links to buy your tickets!
