THE first of its kind Swan Lantern Festival will be held in Ballajura next week celebrating cultural heritage, friendship, diversity and belonging.

Organised by the Western Australia Vietnamese Women’s Association (WAVNWA), the event is set to run from 4pm to 8.30pm on Saturday, November 14 at the Ballajura Community College Oval.

The festival will feature colourful lanterns, performances and food vendors and aims to recreate the atmosphere of the popular lantern festival held in the streets of Vietnam’s Hoi An and foster the spirit of community in Swan.

Historically, the festival was held by the riverside with the lanterns acting as symbols of hope, warmth, connection and belonging.

A WAVNWA spokesperson said the upcoming event aims to convey the same warmth, atmosphere and magic of Hoi An’s popular festival.

“Hoi An is one of the oldest cities in Vietnam and the festival gathers people from different backgrounds and traditions through the beautiful craft of lantern making,” they said.

“Inspired by the beauty of our own Swan River, it is where a new story begins.”

The spokesperson said Ballajura held significance for the Perth Vietnamese community because it is one of the first areas where a significant Vietnamese community flourished,
“Many people of Vietnamese heritage work, study and live in Ballajura and so it is the perfect place to organise the lantern festival,” they said.

“But it is an event welcoming everyone.

“We are very fortunate to live in Australia which is such a multicultural country and we have learned and lived beside many people from different cultural backgrounds.
“I think for us, this is our chance to share our food, dance, fashion and help connect people.

“Historically lanterns have united people from Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Korea and so as every lantern carries a light, each light tells a story.

“Everyone that joins in is another light in our beautiful community.”

The spokesperson said the association appreciated the support from the wider community and the City of Swan.

“We especially want to say thank you to the association and also our sponsor THT Vitality for all the support and to all the silver sponsors too,” they said.

More information about the festival may be found via wavnwa.org.au/event/swan-lantern-festival-2026