Over the next 10 days, the City of Fremantle is embracing winter with a celebration of the Port City's wonders and local community traditions.
Fremantle Festival, the longest running community festival in Australia, has been reincarnated as 10 Nights in Port and is shaping up to be one of the best years yet with an incredible first-ever winter program.
Council's decision last year to move Fremantle Festival to winter has been welcomed by the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and local business owners.
Mayor Brad Pettitt said winter was usually a quieter time for the traders and hospitality sector, so the influx of visitors to Fremantle over the next 10 days would be a great boost for local businesses.
"Fremantle Festival: 10 Nights in Port is a time to celebrate Freo's undeniable special character and its creative community whose music, performances and artworks bring everyone together," Mayor Pettitt said.
"Community involvement is a major focus for the 10 Nights in Port program, and we have a fantastic line-up of events especially curated to celebrate our local people and make the most of Freo's rich legacy.
In its ninth year, the crowd-favourite highly successful Hidden Treasures winter music series returns tonight as part of 10 Nights in Port.
"Over three nights (11, 18 and 20 July), WA music fans can visit some of the West End's longest-running workers' clubs and venues, including Buffalo Club, National Hotel, Navy Club, Wyola Club, PS Art Space and the Fremantle Tram, to hear the big sounds of Freo's musical folklore."
Tickets cost $20 and are only available at the door from 7pm. To view the full program, visit the Hidden Treasures website.
For the first time, the Festival is introducing Future Treasures to celebrate the next wave of Fremantle talent. Headlined by West Australian Music's (WAM) Song of the Year recipient Carla Geneve, this unmissable showcase is set for 17 July at Freo.Social.
A highly-anticipated community event is Glass Houses & Green Futures, which celebrates the horticultural knowledge and passion that exists across Fremantle.
The free public program takes place in five custom-built hothouses at White Gum Valley Community Orchard, Hilton Harvest Community Garden, Stackwood, Samson Park and on the city streets of Fremantle.
Led by artists and gardening enthusiasts who keep Fremantle green, growing and blossoming, the public sessions held from 12-18 July brings community together to share and exchange local stories, botanical knowledge, growing skills and plants.
Other events on the 10 Nights in Port program cover a range of genres including visual arts, theatre, film and dance by local and international artists. Between shows, audiences can warm themselves by one of the many Festival Fires dotted around city or enjoy a hearty communal dining experience.
