DARLINGTON will come alive with nature, creativity, and local spirit as the annual Darlington Arts Festival will make its highly anticipated return to the Perth Hills in the first weekend of November.
The free community event will take place on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8 in Darlington Village.

A staple of the local calendar for decades, the festival continues its tradition of nurturing artists, artisans, and performers while bringing together residents and visitors alike.

Festivities will launch on Friday, November 6 with a ticketed Gatsby-themed opening soiree fundraiser at the Darlington Arts Festival Pavillion, with attendees encouraged to dress in vintage glamour and enjoy live jazz music.

Visitors can walk through the Sculpture on the Scarp trail, which displays roughly 25 outdoor sculptures along the heritage train in connection with a local history walk.

Organisers have expanded the live performing arts lineup this year to include a wider range of street entertainment.

“Our performing art team have really focused on bringing in some additional roving acts and a lot more diversity this year,” Darlington Arts Festival committee president Amy Pepper said.

“We’re having a roving magician, circus, and possibly a mime roaming around, so quite a diverse program of performances.”

The main stage will also feature the Butterfly Beats youth initiative on Saturday night, pairing a Battle of the Bands with digital animation projected onto sculptures.

Alongside the roving acts, the event will feature Open Art, Youth Art, and Junior Art exhibitions inside Darlington Hall, more than 100 artisan stalls, and hands-on community workshops.

“Darlington Arts Festival is unique because it is a festival purely run by community and designed to engage the community in the arts,” Ms Pepper said.

“There’s a real benefit to coming and going home and having a nap and then coming back a bit later, because you will get a totally different experience and different things available at different times of day.”

Ms Pepper also acknowledged the important community support that helps make the event possible each year.

“We want to thank our major sponsors, including the Shire of Mundaring, Lotterywest, the Darlington Review, and Provincial Real Estate; as well as special thanks to Bendigo Bank, Darlington Dental, Daisy Pool Covers, and the Mahogany Inn and Distillery for their ongoing support,” she said.

For more information and program details visit www.darling tonartsfestival.com