This August, the City of Fremantle's much-loved winter arts festival – 10 Nights in Port – returns, inviting audiences to huddle together across ten nights of art, story, and shared experience.
From 20 to 30 August, the 2026 festival will see intimate performances through to large-scale installations unfold across the city, transforming Walyalup/Fremantle into a city-wide trail of creative encounters.
Born from the original Fremantle Festival, 10 Nights in Port has evolved into a celebration of the city's creative energy, bringing together a program that is immersive, thoughtful and distinctly local in character.
In 2026, the festival centres on the theme of 'huddle', drawing people into Walyalup/Fremantle to experience warmth, light and connection, and creating spaces that invite moments of pause, reflection and connection.
Creative Programs Lead at the City of Fremantle, 'Ofa Fotu, said the 2026 programme explores how people come together through shared experiences of places, story and creativity.
"At a time when so much of life happens online or in passing, shared experiences feel more important than ever," said Fotu.
"We wanted to create an opportunity for audiences to be immersed in Fremantle's creative pulse and to light up winter with moments of wonder, connection and shared experience. 10 Nights in Port offers a chance to step into something together. To gather, reflect and connect through art and storytelling.
"And this year's theme of 'huddle' is about creating those moments, whether around fire, inside an artwork, or simply enjoying our port city together."
The full programme spans visual art, performance, storytelling, and installation, brought to life through local artists.
Programme highlights include:
- 'Nullians', Kambarni
Australian Indigenous artist Kambarni presents a striking exhibition of political cartoons, unfolding as a visual journey through Australian history and identity.
- 'Train Kiln (Dragon Kiln)', Stewart Scambler
A large-scale, live-fired ceramic installation built across the festival and ignited on the penultimate night of the festival, bringing audiences together around fire, making and a shared creative ritual.
- 'A Magical Guide to Fighting Fascism', Asha Cleur
A multilingual, multimedia performance following three women across Chile, the UK and Australia as they navigate identity, history and survival through music, mythology and storytelling.
- 'In The Block Universe', Myriad Sun
A surreal multimedia installation combining live music, film and 3D projection within a transparent cube, creating a striking 360-degree, holographic performance experience. (First commissioned by Tone List for Audible Edge 2024.)
- 'The Genesis Project', Parkin Projects
A bold, gut wrenching contemporary dance work which explores monstrous female archetypes in patriarchal narratives performed by six femme dancers.
The festival invites audiences to experience Walyalup/Fremantle in a new light.
"We've curated a programme that encourages people to slow down, gather and really sit within the work, from sharing stories through Map of Memories, to coming together around fire, food and music under the full moon," said Fotu.
The festival will unfold between the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre and Victoria Hall, and the streets and spaces in between, inviting audiences to move through the city this winter season.
10 Nights in Port is proudly presented by the City of Fremantle with the support of Lotterywest.
