Perth Festival's Nathan Bennett will be stepping down to become chief executive of World Masters Games Perth 2029 early next year, an international multi-sport competition is held every four years
Former politician and prominent board director Ben Wyatt has been announced as the new chair of Perth Festival, which has also appointed three new members to its board.
Perth Festival will return next year with a full line-up of interstate and overseas acts, a free opening event at Joondalup and expectations for a big increase in income.
Perth Festival is budgeting for a doubling in box office sales next year after signing up acclaimed Icelandic performer Björk for an Australian-exclusive season.
Chevron's long-running sponsorship of the Perth Festival will end next year, with the festival expected to seek new corporate backers while continuing to ramp up its philanthropic income.
Perth Festival's box office sales increased slightly from the 2021 iteration, but total attendance was heavily disrupted by cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A large-scale event to open the 2022 Perth Festival on February 11 will not go ahead due to the organiser's concern about the potential spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Perth Festival has released a dramatically changed program for 2022 along with its first-ever 12-month financial report since becoming a stand-alone company.
Overall attendance increased while box office sales lagged at Perth Festival this year after border closures resulted in a smaller program of local acts.
Fringe World Festival shows will begin from 7pm tonight while Perth Festival has been postponed another week, until February 15, under advice from the state government.
The 2020 Perth Festival has proved to be the most successful in the event's history, with $5.98 million earned at the box office, despite some programming cancelled due to COVID-19 and lower audience numbers.
Ambitious plans to attract more visitors from outside Western Australia for next year's Perth Festival and beyond are top-of-mind for executive director Nathan Bennett.
This year's Perth Festival encouraged 7,300 tourists to visit Western Australia while box office sales increased 21 per cent from 2018, the festival's impact report has shown.
The state's two leading arts festivals have a large role to play in the cultural and creative vibrancy of Perth during the summer months, according to their impact reports released this week.
An analysis of Perth Festival undertaken by local firm Culture Counts has found near-universal support for the event's impact on, and importance for, Western Australia's cultural scene.
SPECIAL REPORT: An eclectic mix of corporate heavyweights, private philanthropists and innovative disruptors have helped to shape the state's arts sector.
Box office sales for Perth's two major arts festivals have remained steady against last year's figures, with Perth Festival on track to make $3.8 million and Fringe World Festival hitting $10 million.
The increasingly competitive nature of the arts marketplace has prompted a rebrand at the longest-running international arts festival in Australia, Perth International Arts Festival.
