Italian Footy Fiesta, Chip Charcuterie and Pinot Palooza: 19 Essential WA Events in August 2026

We’ve officially tipped into the second half of the year, but things aren’t slowing down in Perth or in the regions.

Here are the best things to do in WA this month – and all the food news you might have missed.

Jump to:

• Festivals

• Theatre

• Art

• Food and drink news

Festivals and events in August 2026

There are so many events, food festivals and pop-ups coming to Perth this year. We’ve got heaps of them bookmarked – but these are the events happening this month.

• Little Italy Festival, Stadium Park August 5 to 9: Stadium Park will transform into Little Italy as part of the Calcio Italiano celebrations, which include major football matches between AC Milan, Juventus, Palermo and Inter Milan. The WA Italian Club will be manning the bar and vendors will dish up pasta, arancini, focaccia, gelato and tiramisu. See the website for more information.

• Mould x Pinot Palooza, August 7 to 9: There’s no better pairing than wine and cheese. This three-day celebration brings two festivals together under one roof. Mould will showcase more than 50 artisanal Aussie cheeses, while Pinot Palooza pours more than 50 expressions of pinot noir. Enjoy the spread and the chance to meet the producers behind your favourite drops and cheese. Tickets on sale now.

• Gascoyne Food Festival, August 21 to September 6: This remote food festival line-up includes 15 events over 16 days. Highlights include a Carnarvon feast led by Petition’s Jess Roe; a multi-course menu led by Paul Iskov, who runs native food pop-up Fervor; and an overnight stay on a remote island. Tickets are available now.

• Drinks Service: In the Mood For Love at Banksia Tavern, August 22: Sommelier and Broadsheet writer Cyndal Petty is hosting a drinks party inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. Chef Laura Harding is serving a Hong Kong-inspired menu while Petty serves a curated wine list including Chinese wines. Bookings open now.

• Shinju Matsuri, August 21 to September 6: Shinju Matsuri is a 17-day celebration of Broome’s rich multicultural heritage. It dates back to the late ’60s, when Broome’s pearling industry was at its peak, and many Southeast Asian people migrated to the region. The Festival Hub at Town Beach will feature live entertainment, family-friendly activities and food pop-ups. Plus, a line-up of curated events at Matso’s Broome brewery, a Chinatown feast, a sunset supper on the beach, and more. Prices vary, some events free. Tickets on sale now.

• Patatas de picoteo at Pinchos, Tuesday to Sunday: Girl dinner takes a new form as Leederville’s Pinchos puts its own twist on chip charcuterie. A heaping pile of potato crisps, jamon, dukkah, manchego chunks, paprika and guindillas will be topped with honey, chorizo fried breadcrumbs and parsley. It’s available from midday until 5pm and an $18 serve is enough to feed two people.

• Vasse Felix and Samuels on Mill, Thursdays in August: August is peak truffle season. Vasse Felix and Samuels on Mill have teamed up to create a menu of Manjimup truffles paired with Vasse Felix wines. It’s available at Samuels on Mill every Thursday in August. You can enjoy a single course from just $48 or a multi-course menu with wine pairings for $220. Bookings are essential.

• Long Chim Wednesday night curries, until August 26: The Long Chim team is doing its bit to heat up winter with a weekly Wednesday curry night. The menu includes a choice of five curries, including a khao soi that one Broadsheet writer just can’t stop thinking about.

• Moules frites at Pearla & Co, Thursdays all winter: Throughout winter, Scott Bridger is putting a twist on the classic French dish. Score half a kilo of WA mussels with saffron, lemon and fresh herbs and a hearty serve of Pearla fries. It’s available every Thursday evening for $30 per person. You can add on a house Oyster Martini for just $15.

• Dine the 20 wine regions of Italy at Il Lido, until November 12: Every week for 20 weeks, the Il Lido team is taking a journey to a new region of Italy. From Tuesday to Thursday each week, the team will offer four regional specialties for $75. There’s also an optional paired drop from each region. In August, the team is exploring Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. See the website for more information.

• Kith aperitivo afternoons, Thursday to Sunday 4pm–7pm: Kith is an AM go-to in Nedlands, but now it’s making the move into the arvos. From Thursday to Sunday, Kith will serve aperitivo classics like Gildas, anchovy toast, pork cotoletta and more. Bookings open now.

Theatre in August 2026

There’s so much great theatre coming to Perth this year, these are our picks.

• Eugene Onegin: Ever regretted not asking that hottie out? Or saying “no” when they asked you? This Tchaikovsky opera is all about what could have been. Years after Eugene Onegin rejects Tatyana’s advances, he looks back on his decision with longing and regret. This Northern Ireland Opera production, featuring the West Australian Opera Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, stars Samantha Clarke as Tatyana and Samuel Dundas as Onegin. Expect heartbreak, whispered confessions and duels at dawn.

Eugene Onegin runs from August 6 to 15 at His Majesty’s Theatre. Tickets on sale now.

Art in August 2026

There’s never a bad time to be an art lover in Perth, with killer exhibitions planned for 2026. But August is a particularly packed month. Here are our picks.

• Tran Luong: Tam Ta – Soaked in the Long Rain: Artist Tran Luong is a major figure in Vietnamese art. Political, pioneering and working across several mediums, Tran’s works unpack political repression, the impact of ideology and memories of wartime displacement. AGWA’s exhibition is the first significant presentation of his art in Australia.

Tran Luong: Tam Ta – Soaked in the Long Rain runs until August 16 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

• Unwavering: Since opening in 2014, Spinifex Hill Studio in South Hedland has established itself as a community arts centre to watch. This winter, you can see why, with a new collection of work from the grassroots studio now showing at Form Gallery. Curated by Yolŋu artist and printmaker Ruby Djikarra Alderton, Unwavering celebrates the fortitude and resilience of Aboriginal women. See new commissions from 14 Spinifex Hill artists, including celebrated painter Doreen Chapman and Maywokka (Mayiwalku) Chapman, a Manyjilyjarra and Warnman elder and one of the last surviving desert dwellers in WA, both of whom have work held in the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection.

Unwavering runs at Form Gallery, Claremont until August 30.

• Kamsani Bin Salleh: Nullians: Trailblazing artist, illustrator and designer Kamsani Bin Salleh, aka Kambarni, has been commissioned to create murals and projections across Australia, from Kings Park and Midland Train Station to Collie and the Sydney Opera House. This show goes back to his early work – comic-style illustrations drawn on scraps of paper and tissues, which he posted to Instagram. They eventually made it into the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra. His wry, unfussy drawings tackle colonisation, identity and power – from everyday microaggressions to police brutality, climate change and genocide. His formless, thought-provoking characters, the Nullians, take their name from “terra nullius”, the colonial fiction used to justify the British invasion of this continent.

Nullians runs from August 20 to August 30 at Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre. Entry is free.

• The West Australian Pulse 2026: More than 300 teenage artists submitted their works for this year’s exhibition, with 63 shortlisted pieces exhibited. Come vote for your favourites in the People’s Choice Award, or simply marvel at the results of a talented bunch of year 12 visual arts grads.

The West Australian Pulse 2026 runs until September 13 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

• Khaled Sabsabi: Between Suns: It’s been a big year for Australian multidisciplinary artist Khaled Sabsabi. Off the back of the 2026 Venice Biennale, he’s bringing an expansive retrospective to Perth. His career kicked off in 1998 with Aajyna, which reflected his childhood experience of the Lebanese Civil War, and he’s barely stopped since – working across painting, video, sound, installation and performance over almost three decades. This exhibition includes works never before seen in public. It’s a rare chance to catch an internationally recognised Australian artist at the top of their game.

Khaled Sabsabi: Between Suns runs until September 20 2026 at the Naval Store, Fremantle.

• Attachment Styles: Modes of Belonging in Modern and Contemporary Art: With pieces plucked from AGWA’s 18,000-strong collection, Attachment Styles is a curious exhibition themed around therapy talk. Whether you identify as “anxiously avoidant” or “securely attached”, there’ll be a painting here that speaks to your soul. Frederick McCubbin’s Down on his luck, for example, has a hint of self-soothing. Stewart MacFarlane’s The border seems to depict jealousy or sibling rivalry. Then there’s John Nash’s The Bathers, with its lone individuals sitting in close proximity to others. Whichever one you relate to most, it’s clear these artists understand our deep-seated need to feel seen.

Attachment Styles: Modes of Belonging in Modern and Contemporary Art runs until October 11 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

• Bruce Asbestos: Cranky Pants: Enter this playful exhibition by UK artist Bruce Asbestos through the wide-open mouth of one of his kooky sculptures, named Super Crank. This all-ages space welcomes big feelings and judgement-free opportunities to express yourself, especially if you feel a little silly. There are fun fabrics to explore, which have unusual zips, snaps and other fastenings. Use them to design a new outfit – or an entirely new personality – then show it off on the catwalk. Being your unapologetic self is what Cranky Pants is all about.

Cranky Pants runs until April 25, 2027 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Food news and new openings:

What we’ve covered recently:

• We put together a wrap of the best new venues opening soon, including a new location for Le Vietnam and a new restaurant from a chef whose venues have nine Michelin stars under their belts.

• We wrapped up the best Sunday roasts in Perth to get us through the winter months.

• Chefs shared their go-to date night spots and romantic restaurants around the city.

Reporting by Holly Bodeker-Smith, Emma Joyce and Chelsea Seale.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 11, 2026. It is updated every month with new information.