Regional Arts WA
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Western Australia’s regional calendar pulses with creativity all year long – from music, literature and giant kites, to open studios and biennials that spread across whole towns.
In 2026, WA’s wide-open spaces and tight-knit communities provide the backdrop to vital artistic celebration. So mark your diaries… here is your curated guide to the arts experiences that invite you to be curious and connect with regional creatives.
1. Boyup Brook Country Music Festival
13 – 15 February
Where country roads meet heartfelt ballads and foot-stomping rhythms, Boyup Brook’s beloved music festival returns with a lineup of home-grown and national talent. Expect three days of live music, community cheer and the kind of ripe-air friendliness that only a small Australian town can muster.
And remember to pack your reusable coffee cup or wine cup! Like many good country folk, the people behind the Boyup Brook Muster are focused on sustainability, and there will be no plastic cups at this event!
2. Nannup Music Festival
27 February – 2 March
3 nights, 8 stages, and over 100 acts. If you haven’t done Nannup Music Festival – some say you haven’t lived a full life.
Rooted in folk tradition but embracing genre-bending sounds, the Nannup Music Festival unfurls along the banks of the Blackwood River. Musicians young and seasoned bring storytelling to life in song, while workshops and side events make space for connection and discovery.
3. South West Biennial: Tracework
21 March – 19 July
A new signature on WA’s contemporary art map, the inaugural South West Biennial centres at Bunbury Regional Art Gallery and ripples across six partner venues. With works from 28 local and regional artists alongside installations by internationally acclaimed practitioners, this expansive exhibition invites visitors to see the South West through fresh creative lenses, and to linger in Bunbury’s thriving arts precinct during launch weekend, community events and artist talks.
Partner venues include Albany Town Hall, Arts Narrogin, Holmes a Court Gallery at Vasse Felix, Margaret River HEART, Southern Forest Arts, and Vancouver Arts Centre.
4. Red Earth Arts Festival
14 – 17 May
The City of Karratha transforms into a four-day artistic playground each year, hosting the Red Earth Arts Festival (REAF).
Running from May 14-17 in 2026, REAF is a full-scale creative takeover built around improving well-being, encouraging social cohesion, building capacity for local artists, and supporting the sustainability of regional creative industries.
The City of Karratha’s acknowledgment of the Ngarluma People as Traditional Custodians is woven into the festival’s fabric, and REAF celebrates both contemporary creativity and deep cultural connection.
If you want to plan ahead, jump over to the festival website for tips on accommodation, travel, accessibility, and everything Karratha. Pack your sense of adventure…the Pilbara’s calling.
5. Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival
15 – 17 May
This event is a literary highlight on the State’s cultural calendar, celebrating the art of storytelling with over 60 events in three days across our stunning South West. Bringing together acclaimed authors, thinkers and creatives for talks, panels, workshops and conversations, this is a Festival that will spark curiosity and connection. The Young Readers & Writers and free community programs nurture the next generation of storytellers, ensuring the Festival programming is accessible for all ages and on any budget.
The Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival continues year-round with author in-conversations and book launch events at its Margaret River Festival Hub (Nala Bardip Mia – Margaret River HEART) as well as in the CBD, with their partners at the State Library of Western Australia.
Join their mailing list to keep updated on ticket releases and details of events throughout the year.
Stay tuned for more details as the program evolves.
6. Denmark Arts Festival of Voice
27 – 31 May
In Denmark, where forest meets sea, voices take centre stage. The Festival of Voice 2026 is in its 22nd year, and celebrates spoken word, music, performance and narrative. The event invites audiences to immerse themselves in the sonic textures of community, place and identity. (Stay tuned for the full 2026 program!)
7. Shinju Matsuri Festival
23 August – 7 September
Shinju Matsuri (Festival of the Pearl) is the Kimberley’s most wonderfully multicultural shindig and worth planning a trip around if you are going north.
The festival emerged from Broome’s unique pearling heritage, which brought workers from across South-East Asia and created a cultural melting pot that’s still simmering today. Local business folk had the brilliant idea to unite the Chinese “Hang Seng,” Japanese “O’bon,” and Malaysian “Hari Merdeka” celebrations into one week-long festival that would showcase the town’s diversity while giving the struggling local economy a much-needed boost.
More than half a century on, Shinju Matsuri continues to celebrate what makes Broome so dang special. The festival’s founders worked with representatives from Chinese, Japanese, Malay, and Aboriginal communities to create something that fostered genuine understanding and respect across cultures. 50 years plus later, it has become a living celebration of community bonds, cultural heritage, and the safe return of pearl divers to shore.
8. Margaret River Region Open Studios
13 – 28 September
Get behind the scenes of regional creativity during this relaxed yet richly textured artist trail. Over two weeks, studios open their doors to the public, offering an up-close look at artistic practice, personal stories and the remarkable diversity of creative disciplines thriving in the South West.
This is Australia’s largest Open Studios event, with a diverse range of over 150 participating artists. Mark the diary, book the beach house, and tell your friends!
9. Geraldton Open Studios & Surrounds (GOSS)
26 September – 4 October
Stretching from Geraldton to Northampton and across the Mid West, GOSS transforms towns and studios into an open, self-guided arts adventure. More than 30 creative spaces and roughly 150 artists invite you into their worlds of painting, printmaking, ceramics, and photography, while the broader landscape of the coast and hinterland becomes part of the experience. This festival breathes life into the region’s cultural ecology and is a must for those who love art borne of both place and people.
10. Southern Art & Craft Trail
26 September – 11 October
Entering its 23rd year, the Southern Art & Craft Trail threads through historic towns and creative hubs in WA’s great southern region, showcasing local and visiting makers across galleries, workshops and pop-up exhibitions.
Wander at your pace, meet artists at work, and discover handcrafted treasures from pottery to textiles.
11. Balmy Nights Esperance
November (Date TBC)
Esperance’s coastal charm and vibrant community spirit set the stage for Balmy Nights – a night-time celebration where art, performance and the seascape converge. Expect installations, live music and community gatherings under open skies as summer approaches.
Supported by the artistic mediums delivered at The Cannery Arts Centre, this event has steadily evolved to gain a loyal band of attendees who let their hair down and boogie to a solid line-up of live music.
Note this is an 18+ event.
12. Gracetown Kite Festival
29 November
A spectacle of colour and sky, the Gracetown Kite Festival is where art takes flight. Now in its seventh year, this community-built event draws makers, flyers and onlookers together for a day of soaring creativity. From giant canopy kites to illuminated night flyers backed by local music and performances, it’s a joyful capstone to the regional arts year.
Bring the kids and a childhood sense of wonder and ‘let’s go fly a kite..’
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