Australia Day 2021 in Perth will look and feel a little different from what we are used to, however, The City of Perth’s Australia Day Festival has you covered with FREE activities and entertainment for the whole family across five days from Friday 22 to Tuesday 26 January. Shining the Light: The Story of Us is the hero event to celebrate the Australia Day Festival. It consists of two parts:

Shining the Light: Yarning Together

A captivating water projection showcase, that shines the light on the story of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people starting with the dreamtime moment of creation. Elders share their stories of courage and resilience during the time of colonisation, and then shine the light towards a brighter more inclusive future.

There are 2 sessions each day of the festival (Friday 22 – Tuesday 26 January), session 1: 7.45pm to 8.45pm, session 2: 9pm to 10pm. The event is FREE but tickets are essential, click here to book. If you are going along take a raincoat if you plan to take a front-row pew as you will get wet! If you are unable to secure tickets to the session of your choice don’t worry you will still be able to view the projections from various vantage points around Elizabeth Quay but you won’t be able to view it head-on.

The second part is a series of several immersive exhibitions taking place around the City of Perth for the Australia Day Festival which include light installations, accompanied by live performance and art, telling our diverse Australian stories. There are as follows:

The Story of Us:

A poem recited by people of Perth.

Inspiring Australians:

A digital centerpiece featuring the Australian of the Year for the past 48 years.

#ausdayfest Mosaic:

An interactive social media wall where you can share your selfie to become part of a live digital mosaic.

Moving Pictures:

A mural by Perth artist Sioux Tempestt celebrating Australia’s culture of diversity and inclusion, this mural will come to life with mesmerising animations.

Shadow Play:

The kaleidoscope of coloured shadows symbolises the culturally diverse society that we live in.

Among the Marri Trees – Portraits of Multicultural Australia:

The series is inspired by the stories of ordinary individuals and their families, and how people hold on to memories of their homeland. It draws from old photographs of the families of migrants from their old country. This is a story central to so many Australians across different cultures, which forms a connection between them that transcends cultural and societal differences. Artist Jessie Yi Xiao Chen, portraits kindly provided by The Museum of Freedom and Tolerance.

For more information visit www.visitperth.com/en/events/shining-the-light-the-story-of-us