2026 AWESOME Festival Bunbury Hub
Get creative with the kids and let their imaginations run wild at the 2026 AWESOME Festival Bunbury Hub.
This is a STAY AND PLAY experience and the perfect opportunity for families to connect.
All children must be accompanied and supervised by a Grown-Up at all times.
Barking Gecko Arts is returning to Bunbury in October with the 2026 AWESOME Festival! Bringing an outstanding program of arts and entertainment for children and families.
Thousands of local children and their families flocked to BREC in 2024 for two days of creativity, discovery and fun. We’re excited to welcome the festival back with a brand-new show from Barking Gecko Arts, fresh from its Perth premiere, an international guest artist, a Storyteller in Residence, a Pop-Up Talent Quest, workshops and the return of the ever-popular Silent Disco.
Keep an eye out for the full program, coming soon, along with expressions of interest for the popular AWESOME Kids’ Makers Market.
Best of all – the Festival is all FREE!
Walk of the Whales
- Ages 8-12
- Two shows each day! 11am & 2pm
When the whales walk out of the ocean and into the streets, the people of Seaside don’t quite know what to think. At first, the whales are a wonder, swimming in pools, catching trains and dancing in the ballet. But soon the town begins to flood, the shops run out of fish, and patience runs thin.
Amid the chaos, a curious girl named Frida decides to ask the whales the question no one else will: Why did you leave the sea?
Based on the award-winning picture book by Nick Bland and adapted for stage by Gita Bezard, Walk of the Whales is a moving and imaginative play about friendship, understanding, and the small changes that can make a big difference.
Entry is FREE. Optional gold coin donations are appreciated.
Experts Radio Lab
Hosted by Alice Mary Cooper & Company
- All ages
- 10am to 3pm
Set within a fun, colourful, 80’s-style radio studio, Experts Radio Lab is a drop-in performance where young people are interviewed as the expert on a topic of their choice.
The interactive performance is hosted by ‘born storyteller’, theatre-maker Alice Mary Cooper and experienced team of performers. The interviews are shared live over a PA to an audience of fellow interviewees, their families, and curious onlookers in a specially designed listening zone.
Madame Lark
- All ages
- 10am to 3pm
She has a musical saw and a zeal for the many and varied voices of birds.
Madame Lark offers her own vocal interpretations of the things around her… Along with her particular interest in hair, drawings, shapes and pedestrian elements of society, she gives an affectionate nod to the chatter and warblings of the air dwellers with surprisingly accurate Australian bird calls.
Storyteller in Residence Glenn Swift
- All ages
- 10am to 3pm
Prepare to be captivated as master storyteller and host extraordinaire Glenn Swift welcomes you into an enchanting world of stories, books, rhymes, and literary magic. Come and bask in the glorious glow of words as you listen, imagine, build, and share stories inspired by some of your favourite books.
Kids Makers Market
- All ages
- 10am to 3pm
Bring along your pocket money and support local budding artisans at the AWESOME Kids Market! We’ve put a callout to young entrepreneurs aged 14 and under to host their own market stall for a day at the Bunbury AWESOME Festival Hub.
Gnaala Karla Booja Ranger Services
- All ages
- 10am to 3pm
Stationed at the entrance this year is Gnaala Karla Booja’s Ranger Services! Activities across the day include kylie (boomerang) workshops, kodj and daarp (stone tool) demonstrations, weaving workshop using traditional products and tools and weapons ‘hands on’ displays within a culturally themed safe yarning space for young people and adults.
Wardan (Ocean) Dreaming
Create Your Own Ocean Artwork with Candice Nannup
- All ages
- 10am to 12:30pm | 1pm to 2:45pm
Dive into a world beneath the waves and create your very own ocean-inspired artwork!
Inspired by the artistic practice of Noongar artist Candice Nannup, this hands-on workshop invites children to explore the beauty, creatures and textures of the ocean through paint, tissue paper, tulle, sand and oil pastels.
Choose your favourite ocean creature; from whales, turtles and dolphins to sharks, octopuses, even mermaids and transform your cardboard canvas into a colourful, layered and textured work of art.
With interactive stations to explore, young artists can experiment with colour, texture and pattern, creating a unique artwork inspired by the ocean and their own imagination.
Ocean Adventure
Drama Workshop with Siobhan Maiden
- Ages 7-12
- 12 Participants per session
- 10:00pm to 11:00am | 11:15am to 12:15pm | 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Dive into a world of imagination! In this playful drama workshop, children will set off on an ocean adventure, creating colourful characters, discovering curious sea creatures and transforming everyday objects into underwater props.
Led by theatre-maker and teaching artist Siobhan Maiden, this hour-long workshop introduces children to improvised storytelling through movement, props and spoken word. Together, they’ll explore what might be hiding beneath the waves, who they might meet along the way and where their imaginations can take them.
Play, Imagine & Move
Dance Workshop with Sarah Francis
- 10:00pm to 10:45am – All Ages
- 11pm to 12pm – Ages 5-7
- 12:45pm to 1:45pm – All Ages
- 1:45pm to 2:45pm – Ages 5-7
- 30 Participants per session
A playful dance workshop designed to connect with joy, freedom and imagination.
Together we’ll play games, dance and become oceans, creatures of the wild and whatever else our imaginations can dream up. Using contemporary dance tools, we’ll move, explore, create and connect through play.
What might you become?
Silent Disco
- All ages
- 10am to 12:30pm | 1pm to 2:45pm
This is a high-energy, interactive event where kids can dance like nobody is watching – because they’re in their own world of music!
With special wireless headphones, children can let their feet do the talking as they follow the rhythm they love most.
The perfect way to burn off energy, enjoy some funky tunes, and have a blast with friends in a safe, family-friendly environment.
Pop-Up Talent Quest
- All ages
- 12:15pm to 1:15pm
Unleash your inner star at the AWESOME Festival Pop-Up Talent Quest! This is a fun, supportive, and completely free opportunity for kids to share their unique talents. Sign up on the day to secure your moment to shine.
Mini Film Festival
- 10am 3pm
Grab a beanbag, find a comfy spot and dive into a sea of short films! With screenings running throughout the day, drop in whenever you’re ready and set sail on a cinematic adventure packed with stories, characters and plenty of imagination.
And more to activities to discover on the day!
AWESOME Kids’ Makers Market
The AWESOME Kids’ Makers Market is back at BREC this October, and we’re now accepting expressions of interest!
Know a budding entrepreneur aged 16 or under? This is their chance to sell their homemade creations at the 2026 AWESOME Festival Bunbury Hub with their very own market stall for the day.
Spaces available Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October, 10am – 3pm.
Think jewellery, candles, greeting cards, pot plants, keyrings, and more. We can’t wait to see what you create!
Click here to express your interest
Please note:
- Unfortunately, due to insurance requirements, we are unable to allow stallholders to sell food or drink, second-hand items, or cosmetics (including soap, lip balms, etc). We are also unable to allow services such as face painting.
- A parent or guardian must be present for the duration of the market.
- Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- Participation is free!
Proudly supported by the WA Government
“I am so thrilled that my family can experience the AWESOME Festival. It is easily the best family event in WA. Affordable, easy to access and it caters to all tastes.”
“The AWESOME Festival was a wonderful event and a real credit to the organisers. It’s one of the best events I have taken my kids to and we all had a fantastic morning. While we often go to shows and events, having so many things concentrated in one area meant we all found things that interested us and got to try some new things that we might not have otherwise done.”
“There is so many diverse, engaging activities for children of all ages.”
“I give it infinity / infinity (10/10)” – Evander, 4