Welcome to our feature – Arts Scene Around Freo – compiled by our Arts Editor, Gayle O’Leary. Here we will bring to your attention community Arts events happening around Freo – visual arts, live performances, music gigs of various sorts, you name it. Each week we will post Arts Scene on our homepage as well as in The Weekly Edition. If you’d like to have your event included, let Gayle know!
So, what’s happening this week?
Luna SX Cinemas
Our go to local for arthouse, independent, worldleading quality films, alongside critically acclaimed and popular films.
Luna also screens film festival flics, including the Biennial Fremantle Design Film Festival, the Metropolitan Opera, and National Theatre Live broadcasts.
*Double Features are back!*
📍Nestled in the laneway between Norfolk and Essex Street, 13 Essex Street, Fremantle
https://www.lunapalace.com.au/cinemas/luna-on-sx
Cloud Forest, Unfolding
Friday 18 September- 20 October 2026
Japingka Gallery is proud to present Cloud Forest, Unfolding: Ömie Barkcloth Art of Papua New Guinea, an extraordinary exhibition of contemporary barkcloth designs created by women artists from the remote mountain forests of Oro Province.
The Ömie homeland is a place of extraordinary natural beauty. Deep valleys are surrounded by mountains that stretch towards the horizon, often disappearing beneath drifting cloud and mist. Dense rainforest pathways lead through a world alive with flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies and other creatures, while the sacred volcano Huvaimo stands at the heart of Ömie Country.
This remarkable environment is reflected throughout Ömie barkcloth painting. Through intricate mark-making, pattern and colour, artists draw on their intimate knowledge of the natural world, transforming observations of forest, mountain, sky and living things into highly sophisticated abstract designs.
📍Japingka Art Gallery 47 High Street, Fremantle
https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/collections/cloud-forest-unfolding/#content
St Ali Italian Film Festival 2026
Thursday 24 September – 18 October
View the daily festival schedule here.
Returning to cinema screens this September is the largest celebration of Italian culture and film outside Italy, the 2026 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace. Featuring unmissable gems from some of Italy’s finest filmic talents, the festival screens at Luna Palace Cinemas from September 24 til October 18.
Among this year’s highlights is the bittersweet romantic drama THREE GOODBYES (Tre ciotole), based on the bestselling novel by Michela Murgia. When a couple (played by acclaimed actors Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano) split up after what seems like a trivial argument, their lives dramatically change in this emotional, ultimately life-affirming tale from director Isabel Coixet.
Directed by and starring Rocco Papaleo, THE GREATER GOOD (Il bene comune) is both a story of resilience and a heartfelt love letter to the southern Italian region of Basilicata. The story follows a hiking group whose search for an ancient pine tree in Pollino National Park becomes a transformative journey for each of them.
THE EYES OF OTHERS (Gli occhi degli altri) starring Jasmine Trinca and Filippo Timi, takes its inspiration from sensational real events amongst the elite in 1960s Italy. Set on the scenic Pontine Islands archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, this provocative thriller is an intense tale of passion and crime amidst the wild beauty of an island owned by an immensely wealthy marquis.
The comedy TWIN STARS (Stella gemella) portrays a couple facing a relationship crisis who suddenly learn they are expecting twins. But not a regular set of twins, an extremely rare case in which each twin has a different father! Featuring stellar supporting performances from Margherita Buy and Laura Morante, this delightful new comedy from Luca Lucini is a story of family, modern love and self-discovery.
Intergenerational dramatic comedy CLASSMATES (Domani interrogo), based on Gaja Cenciarelli’s novel, stars Anna Ferzetti as a devoted English teacher assigned to the toughest class in a Rome high school. The film highlights the power of education, and the essential nature of respect and community in today’s classrooms.
📍Luna SX Fremantle
https://lunapalace.com.au/festivals/italian-ff
A Musical Evening with Emily Barker (supported by Tim Darby)
Friday 25 September 6pm – 9pm
Emily Barker is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter. She found early success as the writer and performer of the theme to the hugely successful BBC crime drama Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh and has since gone on to forge an acclaimed catalogue of releases, leading The Guardian to say “Emily Barker has a gift for great melodies”.
After 20 years and a raft of releases and collaborations, Barker recently relocated home to WA and is now based in Fremantle.
Barker’s latest album, Fragile as Humans, was produced at storied English studio The Wool Hall by Luke Potashnick (Gabrielle Aplin, Jack Savoretti). It followed 2020’s A Dark Murmuration of Words, which Uncut called “…a kind of Australian equivalent of PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake” and which NPR’s Ann Powers acclaimed as “One of the most literate and probing folk albums of the year.”
Barker has released music and toured as a solo artist as well as with various bands and collaborations – most notably her long associations with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Frank Turner – and has written for TV and film, including composing the soundtrack for Jake Gavin’s lauded debut feature Hector starring Peter Mullan and Keith Allen.
📍Ecoburbia, Beaconsfield
https://events.humanitix.com/a-musical-evening-with-tim-darby-and-emily-barker
Fremantle Underwater Film Festival
Friday 2-4 October 2026
Fremantle’s underwater film festival asks us to look again at the ocean we call home.
Fremantle Underwater Film Festival returns 2–4 October for its 11th year, bringing film, art, science, music and community together around the theme HOME WATERS.
For more than a decade, a small grassroots film festival in Fremantle has been inviting audiences beneath the surface of the ocean — not simply to see what lives there, but to reconsider our relationship with it.
The Fremantle Underwater Film Festival (FUFF) returns to Cockburn Memorial Hall from 2–4 October 2026 with its 11th annual program and a deceptively simple theme: HOME WATERS.
Across three nights, the festival will bring together underwater films from Western Australia, Australia and around the world alongside marine science, art, music and community storytelling.
But festival founder Tania Douthwaite says FUFF has never really been about simply watching beautiful underwater films.
> “We spend a lot of time talking about protecting the ocean, but it’s difficult to protect something we experience as separate from ourselves,” Douthwaite said.
> “FUFF is about creating opportunities for people to become curious about the ocean, to become familiar with it, and ultimately to recognize it as part of home.
> “This year we’re asking a very local question: what changes when we begin to think of the waters around Fremantle not just as somewhere we swim, surf, fish or sail — but as waters we belong to?”
📍Cockburn Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill
https://events.humanitix.com/fremantle-underwater-film-festival-2-4-october-2026
Totally Lit
Friday 2 – 16 October 2026
Totally Lit is back to take over Fremantle / Walyalup with two amazing weeks of live literature events. From the Port to the Prison, from the beach to the bars, in the streets and in the sky, Totally Lit is here to prove that stories belong everywhere.
With nearly 60 unique events to choose from, we have something to offer all ages. With many events available free-of-charge we also have something to offer all budgets.
📍 Walyalup Fremantle
Consort
Saturday 10 October 7pm – 8:15pm
Join HIP Company in Consort: an intimate musical vignette of 16th and 17th century England, celebrating works for viol ensemble and voice.
This concert brings together four of Western Australia’s leading viol proponents: Krista Low, Hannah Herriman, Tadhg Sudlow and Andrew Tait; playing replicas of historical treble, tenor and bass viols. Joining them in song are David Valsamidis (UK bass-baritone) and Bonnie de la Hunty (soprano and Artistic Director).
📍Old Customs House, Fremantle
https://events.humanitix.com/consort
Dual Nature – Tammi de Rooy and Sarah Eve
13 October- 8 November 2026
Launch night Thursday 15 October 5pm-7pm
Dual Nature brings together two Western Australian artists, Tammi de Rooy and Sarah Eve, whose work explores the Australian landscape through very different visual languages.
Tammi’s detailed oil paintings focus on atmospheric light, wildflowers and the quieter moments of regional Western Australia, while my Abstract Realist paintings explore geology, waterways, ancient rock formations and deep time.
The exhibition will be held at Palette Fremantle in North Fremantle, just metres from Leighton Beach, from 13 October to 8 November 2026.
They are also holding an opening reception on Thursday 15 October from 5pm to 7pm, where visitors can meet both artists, view the exhibition and join an informal evening of art and conversation overlooking the coast.
📍Palette Fremantle – 1 Freeman Loop, North Fremantle
Fremantle Design Week 2026
16 – 25 October 2026
Fashion parade, sustainable circular furniture and clothing, short film screenings at Luna SX, studio showcases, architectural panel talks, and more, there is something for every Design buff.
The Fremantle Design Week 2026 program is live!
Immerse yourself in 11 days packed full of design and design ideas, with over 60 events in and around the port city.
Local architects, designers, makers, artists and creatives will be joined by some of Australia’s leading design voices, connecting you to the people, projects and movements shaping design in the West and globally.
Preview some highlights below, then jump onto the website for the full program. Pull up the diary, plan your design week, and book now!
📍Walyalup Fremantle
https://fremantledesignweek.com/?mc_cid=19e5102a97&mc_eid=588d2ccdcc
F.RE.0 Fashion Festival
Saturday 17 October 10am – 4pm
The inaugural FREO Fashion Festival is a celebration of Western Australian sustainable fashion, taking place on Saturday, October 17. Transforming Walyalup Koort and the Fremantle Town Hall, this one-day city takeover brings together local independent designers, makers, upcyclers, and pre-loved fashion curators.
Visitors can experience three distinct runway showcases, explore a large outdoor sustainable fashion market, participate in hands-on upcycling workshops, attend insightful industry panel talks, and join in a community clothes swap as we celebrate World Op Shop Day.
This event features both free and ticketed activations, offering inspiration for a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative local fashion industry.
Runway Program
11:00 AM – Re:Imagine Runway (Walyalup Koort)
Located on the paved area in front of the Fremantle Town Hall, this runway showcases unique wearable art, upcycled designs, and curated pre-loved and vintage fashion.
12:30 PM – The Pre-Loved Parade (Henderson Street Mall)
Located in front of the Fremantle Markets, this surprise flash mob runway features 10 professional dancers and 24 models bringing the street to life.
2:00 PM – Re:Volutionise Runway (Walyalup Koort)
Highlighting the future of ethical design in Western Australia, this runway features independent designers, current fashion students, and recent graduates who design and produce ethically.
Other Festival Activations
Sustainable Fashion Market
Explore a curated selection of local independent designers, makers, and quality pre-loved and vintage vendors.
Upcycling Workshops & Clothes Swap
Participate in hands-on workshops focused on mending and textile upcycling, or bring quality garments to exchange at the community clothes swap.
Industry Panel Talks
Join local industry leaders and change-makers inside the Fremantle Town Hall as they discuss circularity, sustainability, and the future of fashion.
📍Walyalup Koort, 8 William Street, Fremantle
https://events.humanitix.com/freo-fashion-festival
Author Talk: Brooke Davis on No One’s Looking
Tuesday 20 October 6:30pm – 8:30pm
New Edition Bookshop is proud to host Australian author Brooke Davis in Fremantle. Celebrating the release of her new novel, No One’s Looking. Brooke will be in-conversation with local musician Lucy Peach.
Doors open 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start. Book sales and signings available on the night. Nibbles provided and drinks available from the bar.
About The Book:
Susan’s husband’s sudden demand for an open marriage – and a rather large purple object she’d forgotten about – provokes a slow-dawning epiphany: being the ‘good’ girl doesn’t always mean it’s good for you.
Just down the road, her sister Vicki listens at the door of her seventeen-year-old daughter’s room – her only child – and is shocked at what she hears. Her old urge to scream builds. She can’t help believing something very bad is going to happen.
It’s January in suburban Australia – stinking hot, the sound of tennis and cricket on telly, the threat of bushfires in the air. Vicki is right, something is unravelling. Rage, desire, fear, wonder (and the occasional nipple) are unleashed.
In the aftermath, will Susan and Vicki ever find out what’s possible when no one’s looking?
📍The National Hotel (upstairs), Fremantle
https://events.humanitix.com/brookedavisnooneslooking
Spookfest 26
31 October 7pm – 11:55pm
Unicorn presents Spookfest 26 where Halloween descends on the Buffalo Club for one night only. 2 stages! 9 bands!!
Double headliners The Floors and Guild lead the charge joined by Unicorn, Noah Skape, Hip Priest, ParmeZan, Phantom Island, Ursula, and Old Time Sing Song Man across two stages.
Fancy dress, if you dare. Ghouls, ghosts, monsters, witches, the undead and everything in between — come as your worst nightmare, or come as you are. The choice is yours.
The Buffalo Club transforms into Perth’s darkest Halloween gathering. Come face your fate.
📍Buffalo Club Fremantle
https://events.humanitix.com/spookfest-2026
If there’s any missed local shows and events that are about to open, do make sure to email Gayle so we can include your show, event, gig.
* Arts Scene Around Freo is compiled by our Arts Editor, Gayle O’Leary. If you’d like your community event listed email Gayle here.
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