Perth Festival looks to the stars as it celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2023, with an exciting lineup of events and artists, ranging from the Kronos Quartet to Björk.

Djoonal, Perth Festival, 2023. Image © Trevor Dobson, Louise Coghill and Jade Foo

During his time as Artistic Director, Iain Grandage has forged close collaborative relationships with local Noongar artists. For his inaugural program in 2020, he chose the theme Karla – the Noongar word for ‘fire’. In 2021, the theme was Bilya (river) and in 2022 Wardan (the sea). The Noongar theme for his fourth program in 2023 is Djinda (stars) – an invitation to audiences “to look outwards, upwards and sing to the sky”.

“Distilling meaning and direction for our terrestrial lives from the stars above is central to cultures around the globe,” says Grandage in the 2023 Perth Festival brochure.

“For Noongar custodians here, a multitude of stories connects Djinda (stars) to Country. Central to many of them is Djoondal – the old spirit woman travelling across Noongar Boodjar...