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2026 bucket list events and festivals in WA
There’s so much going on around WA in 2026 that you’ll want to start planning now.
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Lifestyle
4 min readExplore
There’s so much going on around WA in 2026 that you’ll want to start planning now.
Published
9 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
Event travel is a trend that’s been gaining traction since the pandemic, as an increasing number of people prioritise life experiences and memory making. Not only does it make economic sense to explore a region you’re already going to for a festival, but it’s also a great excuse to extend your travels beyond an event ticket. Most of WA’s festival fun can be framed around a road trip – some short and punchy, others more epic in nature. Read on to get excited about what’s happening in the year ahead.
This four-day cultural festival is set inside Karijini National Park, on Banjima country. Traditional owners’ traditions are woven through a moving Welcome to Country ceremony, bush walks identifying native foods, traditional healing practices, shield carving and storytelling.
There’s a starlit dinner, a music concert with a big-name act, an Elders tent where Banjima language can be learnt and the chance to explore Karijini’s deep crevices, waterfalls and pancake-stack formations. Family-friendly workshops include circus skills, footy training with WAFL players and Aboriginal craft activities; there are also markets and reptile handling.
Why not frame a road trip around the festival, following some or all of the 2,480-kilometre Warlu Way through the Pilbara’s iron-rich red plains and spinifex-tufted ranges? The route also passes the iconic Red Dog statue and the ancient rock engravings of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2025.
Dates: 10-13 April 2026
More details: karijiniexperience.com.au
Seafood is at the centre of this ocean-facing festival based in Geraldton. Home to the WA rock lobster industry, there’s naturally plenty of sweet white flesh and red carapace being cooked up each day. Go all out and get tickets to the Abrolhos Islands long table lunch, reached via a convoy of light planes; the view from the sky is as good as a dip in gin-clear water between courses.
Other sell-out events include the Mid West Paddock to Plate - an open-air, multi-course dinner held on farmland, a local gins and food pairing event, and a tour of the processing facilities at the Geraldton Fisherman’s Co-Op; it’s free but books out fast.
There are plenty of other free events too, from food stalls, cooking demonstrations and live music at The Helm on the foreshore – where you can get barbequed rock lobster – to sand sculpture workshops for the kids, a silent disco, a BYO seashell identifying session, and a talk on Abrolhos Islands research expeditions.
Make a road trip of it by driving the loop track through the Pinnacles, stopping at Seashells Cervantes for lunch and exploring the Stockyard Gully National Park caves north of Jurien Bay. Consider extending the adventure with a jaunt up to Hutt Lagoon’s pink lake, on the way to Kalbarri and its ocean cliffs.
Dates: Late April
More details: shoreleavefestival.com.au
They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and that’s certainly the spirit for Bridgetown’s annual winter festival. Fridgetown Fest embraces the cold head-on, with a winter feast complete with a toasty fire, a winter soiree of musical classics and a Dungeons & Dragons winter fest aimed at the whole family. There are also ghost walks held by the local historical society, a winter craft fair, and paint and sip events – only the sipping is of Devonshire tea.
Bridgetown proudly declares itself the winter capital of WA, with local shops and galleries such as The Rabbit Hole, Goorbilyup (found inside the restored Bridgetown Railway Station) and the Perrier Studio Sculpture Garden all visitable through the darker months; you can also go roller skating at the Rec Centre and clink glasses at The Cidery or Llama Lounge Bar (inside Karma Llama Records shop) anytime.
Dates: Various dates June-August
More details: fridgetownfest.com.au
Covering some serious kilometres between Shark Bay, Carnarvon and Exmouth, the Gascoyne Food Festival is regarded as Australia’s largest regional food festival. It also takes in outback stations and an island, inviting participants to explore WA’s backyard as much as savour its flavours.
For a road trip like no other, follow the Taste of the Gascoyne Food Trail. There’s a digital and print trail map that leads you between restaurants, cafes and foodie destinations, with each venue creating a signature dish using seasonal Gascoyne produce. There are also ticketed events, with a glam full moon feast on Exmouth’s Sunrise Beach, dinner under the stars at Bullara Station and a two-day adventure - including seeing Australia’s last sunset - on Dirk Hartog Island.
Free events range from a stargazing supper at Mount Augustus to ‘beats and eats’ at Shark Bay and a family-friendly food festival on the Carnarvon Foreshore. While you’re in the region, meet the dolphins at Monkey Mia, the whales in Exmouth Gulf, and check out the blowholes north of Carnarvon.
Dates: July-August
More details: gascoynefoodfestival.com.au
Getting gussied up and popping on an Akubra or 10-gallon hat is de rigueur during Broome’s racing season, and the Broome Cup is the pinnacle event. Locals and station folk joyfully rub shoulders while curious visitors flock to the Broome Turf Club. The people-watching and racing culture is as much of a lure as the horse race itself.
Even the location is special, with the red dirt racetrack cut into bushland and the Indian Ocean on both sides at Gantheaume Point. Helpfully, the Broome Explorer Bus does a special drop-off service, and there’s an evening shuttle bus back to both Chinatown and Cable Beach, allowing punters to let their hair down while enjoying the live music and fashions on the field. There’s also kids’ entertainment and food stalls.
While in Broome, consider booking into the new Astro Tours, restarted by family members of the late Greg Quicke (aka Space Gandalf), visit the dinosaur footprints with Broome Adventure Cruises, and grab a bite at the new Cable Beach House overlooking the transformed foreshore, with redevelopment set to be completed by mid-2026.
Dates: Mid-August
More details: broometurfclub.com.au
Japanese for ‘festival of the pearl’, Shinju Matsuri began more than 50 years ago, originally to mark the safe return of pearl luggers who’d spend up to two months out to sea. The fortnight-long festival takes over the multicultural town of Broome and its famous Cable Beach, peaking with an iconic long table dinner for 400 on the sand. It opens with the awakening of Sammy the Chinese Dragon who parades through crowds.
Other highlights include a mass release of floating lanterns carrying remembrance messages across the ocean, a pearl meat cook-off with loads of tastings, a float parade through the heart of town, a catwalk for pets in fancy dress, and a pop-up food feast in Chinatown.
While in Broome, be sure to catch the Staircase to the Moon, and watch as the reflection of water on the corrugated mud flats creates a transfixing staircase effect that simply must be seen at least once in your life. It’s visible from many vantage points, including the Broome Golf Club, Town Foreshore, Matso’s Brewery and the Mangrove Hotel. At the latter, the warble of a didgeridoo fills the air as the moon rises, like a giant pearl.
If travelling with kids, the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park will leave a lasting impression, as much for the giant crocs snapping at feeding time as the chance to hold a new hatchling (where possible).
Dates: Late August, early September
More details: shinjumatsuri.com.au
More than 50 events run over the month of the Bloom Festival in the Great Southern. Exotic wildflowers get their time in the sun, as the focus of activities across nine shires and 26 communities.
That said, everything that blooms is celebrated, so expect a lot of floral theming and adventures that range from Noongar culture events to open gardens and wine and dine events – including a paint and sip in the vines.
There are also guided tours through the Stirling Ranges, a breakfast hike, heritage trails, wildflower displays, and art exhibitions. The Bloom street party launching the festival is a highlight, and craft activities such as fabric flower making and woven vessels are popular.
For families, there’s a children’s treasure hunt, a felt flower workshop, bloom story time and a “learn to ride gravel” session. The festival also wraps in the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show, and the Kojonup and Katanning agricultural shows.
Dates: End September to end October
More details: greatsoutherntreasures.com.au/bloom
Ever listened to opera sung in a cave or dined on a long table beneath tall trees? In 2026 it’ll be the third year of the Pair’d Margaret River food and wine festival, which offers experiences that are anything but expected.
Events have an out-of-the-box edge to them, while a focus on the region’s renowned produce remains in place. You might meet the next generation of Margaret River winemakers at the popular New Wave event. There’s also the opportunity to go for a vineyard wander, sample wine in a barrel hall, cruise on a catamaran for sunset vino and canapes, or have a fireside feast on a working farm.
Previous sell-out events include the Cullen chardonnay tasting, lunch on the lawn at Fraser Gallop Estate, and the sounds of a soprano inside Ngilgi Cave.
While in the Margaret River region, check out the new Miss Chow’s dumpling restaurant at Edwards Wines, book in for a sophisticated beachside breakfast at the recently opened Ilma Beach House at Bunker Bay, and take the magical (and free) 3.7km coastal walk between Dunsborough and Meelup Beach.
Dates: Late November
More details: pairdmargaretriver.com
NOTE: Event dates are correct at the time of publication. Where exact dates are not listed, please check the event website closer to the time.
