Lifestyle and Culture in Western Australia

Yagan Square Nyumbi returns

Visitors to Perth's Yagan Square – one of the city's most popular community, meeting and celebration spaces – will again be able to enjoy free performances by Nyoongar dance groups every Friday night during the Yagan Square Nyumbi. Meaning 'celebration dance' in Nyoongar language, Nyumbi will offer a unique opportunity to experience WA's Nyoongar culture as Aboriginal dancers perform traditional song and dance, and share stories of the State's rich culture and history. Kicking off from November 13, the free events will take place every Friday evening from 5.30pm to 6.15pm at Yagan Square Amphitheatre.

Perth's outdoor cinemas return

Perth's balmy summer evenings offer the perfect setting to watch a movie under the stars. With a range of unique venues dotted across the Perth region, choose from a city rooftop experience at the Rooftop Movies in Northbridge, pack a picnic for an evening on the grass at the Moonlight Cinema in Kings Park, take a seat under the pine trees at the University of Western Australia's Somerville Auditorium for Perth Festival's film season, or choose from various locations at the outdoor Telethon Community Cinemas. For a unique outdoor cinema experience, Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in the outer suburb of Kingsley offers Perth's only drive-in theatre, and at the World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison, some of the best prison movies of all time will be screened in the prison grounds from January 12 to February 7 as part of Prison Cinema.

Summer Markets kick-off across Perth

Perth has welcomed the return of some of the city's favourite outdoor markets. The popular Scarborough Beach Sunset Markets, set against the backdrop of one of Perth's idyllic city beaches, are on every Thursday night at 5pm, and Perth city's weekly foodie market, the Twilight Hawkers Markets, will start satisfying tastebuds from Friday, November 13. Located at Trigg Beach, the Summer X Salt Markets take place every second Saturday until March 27, 2021, and was recently awarded WA's Best Small Event at the 2020 Australian Event Awards. The ever-popular Inglewood Night Markets have also returned, with almost 40 food vendors dishing up treats every Monday night.

West Australian Ballet release 2021 program

The West Australian Ballet is set to showcase beautiful classics, powerful contemporary works and hero home-grown talent as part of its 2021 program. Australia's oldest ballet company will commence its 69th year with As One: Ballet at the Quarry, a triple bill of contemporary dance works as part of the Perth Festival 2021 program. Other highlights for the 2021 season include Scannella and Delasalle's acclaimed version of classical cornerstone, Giselle – performed at His Majesty's Theatre from May 13 to 22, with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra; and making its long-awaited Australian debut, The Sleeping Beauty will feature as the festive season family ballet event from November 18 to December 12, 2021.

David McDiarmid and local queer stories opens at AGWA

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of WA's Pride Parade, the Art Gallery of WA's (AGWA) new exhibition will feature the works of queer artist and activist David McDiarmid. Created at the height of the AIDS epidemic, McDiarmid's ironic, playful and scathing poster works from the State Art Collection are presented in conversation with local stories of the late 1980s and early '90s, bringing to the fore the lived experience, tragedy and enormous strength of the local queer community. Featuring alongside McDiarmid's works are two iconic altars from Australia's longest running gay club, Connections Nightclub, which commemorates those lost to AIDS/HIV, along with archival material from the Gay and Lesbian Archive WA that documents the stories and struggles of the LGBTIQA+ community during the 1980s and '90s. Located at Perth Cultural Centre, the free exhibition 'I want a future that lives up to my past': David McDiarmid and local queer stories will run from November 14, 2020 to April 26, 2021.

BODHI Wellness Spa Retreat opens in Cottesloe

WA's premiere wellness spa group, BODHI Wellness Spa Retreat, has this month opened the doors to its newest luxury offering in the coastal suburb of Cottesloe. This is the sixth wellness destination for BODHI – with other locations in Wembley, Highgate, Qantas T3 Perth International Transit Lounge and the Westin Hotel in Perth; and award winning Injidup Spa Retreat in the Margaret River region. The latest offering has a modern WA theme, with seven beautifully appointed treatment rooms, two hydrotherapy spa baths, an infrared sauna, a tranquil relax lounge as well as a luxurious mani-pedi lounge. Offering the best of Australian clean beauty, the carefully curated spa menu offers Sodashi and Mukti Organics facial and body treatments, as well as Li'Tya healing rituals inspired by Australian Indigenous healing.

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