Exploring the Beaufort Street Festival in Perth. A celebration of diverse food, art and music on the long arty strip of Beaufort in Mt Lawley.
On Saturday 15th November I checked out the free Beaufort Street Festival (held on Beaufort St in Highgate/Mt Lawley) for the first time.
The Beaufort Street Festival was developed as a platform for The Beaufort Street Network to showcase its local talent, food, arts, fashion and music scene. It’s supported by The City of Vincent and numerous sponsors. It’s described as being a “playground” for all businesses, sponsors, local artists and the community to join in on for one day of fun. The event is marketed as a“celebration of all things Beaufort Street – from the innovative nature of business owners, to the decadent tastes and smells that fill Beaufort Street on a daily basis”.
Beaufort Street is the main road in Mount Lawley where a big number of quirky bars and restaurants, boutique fashion stores and art shops sit – and it’s probably safe to say one of the best strips for tourists and locals in Perth to head to for well, everything. Up there with I’d Fremantle’s Cappuccino and Perth’s Murray St. So it’s no surprise there is an event dedicated to the this popular area – but how good is it? I went to check it out.
It’s Perth’s biggest street party, squeezing 120,000 people on one street back in 2013. This year, it looked like it attracted the same high numbers, as moving up and down the street was quite the slow, challenging task, (but fun nonetheless) as there is lot to see and lots of interesting characters to bang into along the way.
There were giant plastic heads of (I think?) policemen on wheels, going up and down the street. They were remote controlled by individuals in the crowd.
The iconic Beaufort Street rabbit and dog statue is also dressed up for the occasion (I still don’t get this meaning behind a rabbit and dog riding a bicycle, if anyone can fill me in that would be appreciated)
Art is another big thing celebrated here, and you will find so many artistic stalls selling the quirkest home decor, paintings, souvenirs, gifts and more! The Beaufort Street Arts Committee have carefully curated a collection of creative art activations along the street.
The Laneway Project has seen a suburban laneway off Beaufort Street transformed by some of Perth’s best street artists. The Peacock, the central figure of this year’s festival, is recreated, made entirely out of recycled materials by recycling not-for-orift organisations REMIDA and GARBOLOGY.
If you’re looking to check out a raft of local art pieces and potentially pick up a few as gifts, stARTup (a new initaitive to the festival) is the place to be. Hundreds of pieces of artwork from emerging local artists living in and around Perth will be on display in an open air gallery which starts on Chelmsford Road and stretches all the way round to behind IGA.
There are live demonstrations in some stalls where you can pick up a few nifty tips to take home with you; as well as entertainers on stilts that walk up and down the street interacting and delighting the crowds.
Besides the countless food stalls you’ll walk past offering you tastes from all around the world, The Beaufort Street Festival Food Committee also put together quite the bumper lineup for this year’s Fresh Provisions Food Stage. On this stage, there are a talented bunch of Chefs, plenty of tasting opportunities, Pizza-eating competitions and more.
‘The Coffee Lab’ by Cocktail Gastronomy stall. Would you like some nitrogen smoke with that?
There is an array of exotic foreign food to try at the Beaufort Street Festival.
There are food stalls that let you sample food.
Drinking fresh coconut water – cheap as, only $2!
Live entertainment can be found throughout the street…or in this case… above the street.
There are plenty of 18+ enclosed entertainment venues to choose from to get a little more ‘crazy’ with friends.
Children are catered for too, with a special kids area with child-friendly rides and a few kid-friendly entertainment stalls.
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There is just so much more that the Beaufort Street Festival offers; from art, music, food to fashion; all demographics from young and old, families, couples and singles – all will have an entertaining time here.
Check it out when it comes back round in 2015.
The event is free, but beware parking inspectors are out and looming. With so many people parking illegally in residential areas, don’t be influenced to do the same, although mind you – you’ll most likely be driving around for ages to find a spot. Leave a little earlier to allocate time for this.
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Contact Information
Email info@beaufortstreetfestival.com.au | Facebook page | Subscribe to their Newsletter
Information for next year’s 2015 Beaufort St Festival:
- The Beaufort St Festival is completely free entry.
- For Late Food Stall/Entertainment/Band opportunities for 2015, register for the Beaufort Street Newsletter to stay updated.
- For volunteering, email the Volunteer Manager atvolunteers@beaufortstreetfestival.com.au or sign up here for info.
