IN Freo

Celebrating the truly eclectic nature of our port town, the annual Fremantle Festival celebrates the start of Summer.

Anyone who has spent time in Fremantle knows its diversity and the Fremantle Festival celebrates the city’s colour, quirks, creativity and community spirit.

Well over 100 years old, Fremantle Festival is Australia’s oldest and longest-running festival.

“The festival has grown over the years and includes all facets of Fremantle life,” says Alex Marshall, the co-ordinator of cultural development at the City of Fremantle.

Much-loved highlights of the Festival which starts in the middle of November include the Sunday Street Parade featuring vibrant floats and the energy of Carnivàle, the indigenous festival of Wardarnji celebrating Nyoongar culture, a children’s fiesta, a youth music event, shows at the Town Hall and Black Box Theatre, a coffee festival on the strip and entertainment at Kulcha.

Continuing the varied nature of the fun and activities on offer, the community part of the Festival features everything from visual arts and a feast in the park to a reggae beach party and Tweed Run vintage bicycle ride, which should feature around 100 cyclists on old bikes. There’s also the return of the Sticky Maze and Alex says a record 106 different groups have activities planned.

“What makes it most exciting is when we have people coming back and talking about putting their event in the festival. The strength of the Festival is how people wish to use it and people are starting to respond to that. The many and varied things people want to do is exciting.”

Interesting inclusions this year include Unbuilt Fremantle which is an exhibition looking at planning applications for past and present Fremantle dating back to the late 1800s, including those for buildings which never went ahead.

Taking the Festival to the West End will be Projections on High where local visual heroes VJZoo will illuminate buildings on High Street with static and moving projections.

“The West End is one of the jewels of Fremantle and it’s an opportunity for people to remind themselves about what a fantastic part of town it is. We want people to move around the community more and discover new spaces and disused buildings.

“In the last few years people have been talking Fremantle down but there are a lot more people talking it up because we know it’s a unique place.”

The Fremantle Festival runs from November 18 to December 4. Program details at www.fremantle.wa.gov.au on the Festivals page. Most festival activities are free.