The September school holidays are fast approaching and with it comes the 2026 AWESOME Festival. Running from 29th September – 3rd October, this five day event has been lovingly created by the team at Barking Gecko Arts, who are absolutely passionate about nurturing imagination and creativity in young minds.
Interested in learning more? Here are some quick tidbits:
The program is stacked with activities for kids of all ages – literally
The team has scoured Australia and beyond to bring innovative acts to this year’s AWESOME Festival – with something for every age group.
Snuggleplay offers a gentle, multi-sensory outing for babies (aged 6 – 15 months). Families are invited to sit under the Story Tree before embarking on a gentle sensory journey with live music and baby-friendly multi-sensory activities. Group sizes are intentionally kept small to ensure children can experience the ideal mix of calm connection, engagement and inclusion.
Toddlers who have found their dancing feet will love Touch & Go – a specially designed dancing game that features dance-theatre, a live guitarist… and masking tape?
On the opposite end of the scale, older kids (including pre-teens) will have ample opportunities to flex their creative muscles. Authors Dan Osborn and Vincenzo Perrella will be hosting Create Your Own Dystopia – a workshop for budding authors on how to create a rich, fictional world.
And of course, there are events that the whole family can enjoy such as The Zebras, Wild Symphony, Madame Lark and Upsound Instruments.
You won’t pay more than $10 per ticket.
Yes, you’ve heard right. While the majority of events and activities are FREE, the most you’ll pay for a single ticket is $10 per person. So every family can afford to take their child for their first visit to the State Theatre Centre without worrying about breaking the bank.
AWESOME Festival has the most comprehensive accessibility guide
AWESOME Festival is committed to running a festival that is mindful of every child’s sensitivities. While most events will list lighting and sound concerns, the AWESOME Festival team have taken it to another level by including a wide range of other considerations. So if your child is fearful of events with audience participation, needs opportunities to move around or is easily affected by characters who display anger, it’ll all be listed on each event’s accessibility guide.
You’ll find the accessibility guide for a show at the bottom of its event description. Here’s an example:
This year’s festival runs across three hubs
Need a change of scenery? The 2026 AWESOME Festival will run across THREE hubs: Subiaco Arts Centre, The State Theatre Centre and Yagan Square. Our recommendation? Take a day off and really explore the hub of your choice – watch some shows, check out the free activities, grab lunch, support the young entrepreneurs at the AWESOME Kids Markets and end the day with an ice cold gelato.
Make the school holidays truly memorable for the kids – check out what’s on at the 2026 AWESOME Festival.