It may be a little cooler, greyer and rainier than a few months ago, but that doesn’t mean our city in the state of sunshine has gone to sleep. In fact, it is far from the truth (and the Winter Fest is just the start)!

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Endless rose sweater (more sweaters here) | Sabo Skirt shorts | Vintage coat (similar here) | Forever new bag | Boohoo heels | Minkpink sunglasses

SHOP A SIMILAR LOOK BELOW

So you may have to wear a few extra layers, waterproof your shoes and carry an umbrella around with you at the moment, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting out and enjoying everything Perth has to offer in the winter months. Especially not when there is a multitude of activity about thanks to the City of Perth’s Winter Fest activations.

From Elizabeth Quay through to Northbridge, there are little pockets full of winter fun. Live performances, art installations, foodie events – you name it, the city has thought of it and implemented it. Heck, they even have real ice and snow to get you into the winter mood.

If you’re in the city at any point during July, I would highly recommend checking out the following activities and events at Winter Fest. (P.s. most of them are free!)

WINTER FEST BINGE

A night out at and in front of the big screen never looked so good! From Friday 20th July – Sunday 22nd July, the Perth Town Hall will be transformed into a free movie theatre. Friday night will be an adults only ‘Scary Binge’ ( Scary Movie, It and The Shining screening throughout the night), Saturday night a Friends Binge, and Sunday is for the kiddies (or the big kiddies) with a Disney Binge from 10.00am – 5.30pm. The best part? There’s free popcorn, coffee for sale to keep you warm and you can order food from some of the city venues via UberEats!

Being a free event, all beanbags are given out on a first come, first served basis. If you have your eyes on one of the screenings at Winter Fest, it is best you get there early!

THE GIANT BALL PIT

In case you can’t already tell from my face in every single one of the photos below, this pure white ball pit is a whole lot of fun! Sure, ball pits are usually reserved for the kiddies, but adults are more than welcome to join in on the action at the one in Yagan Square. If the fear of stepping on a little one buried under 50,000 white balls is far too great, the City of Perth has even scheduled some adults only sessions from 5.00pm – 8.00pm on the 5th and 6th of July. If you can deal with being one of the biggest kids in there, then the dome’s regular opening hours are from 9.00am – 2.00pm until the 11th July.

BRAVE NEW WINE AND DORMILONA DINNER

After summer days, wine and good food are probably my next favourite things. I love getting out and trying new, fun and exciting drops, and learning all about the producers that make them. It is no wonder that the Winter Fest Brave New Wine and Dormilona dinner at Petition Kitchen piqued my interest .

Experimental winemakers Jo Perry of Dormilona, and Yoko Luscher and Andries Mostert of Brave New Wine will chat wine all things wine and showcase their wares over a share style 3-course dinner at Petition Kitchen. The dinner is happening on July 19th and tickets are just $97.00. 7 different wines will be sampled, and there will be plenty of delicious food from the chefs at Petition. It is well worth the $97.00 in my eyes!

MAKE IT RAIN

If you couldn’t make it to the NGV Triennial exhibition to see Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Flower Obsession’ installation, then you need to make a beeline for Carillon City’s ‘Make It Rain’ installation. I was lucky enough to see Flower Obsession in the flesh, and I can tell you that it was really something special.

Inspired by the Japanese artists work, the stark white room at Carillon City acts as a blank canvas for visitors to go wild and leave their mark in sticker form. Everyone gets a sticker sheet of their own and it is up to them as to where to leave them!

Located opposite Cotton On in Carillon City, Make it Rain is open for contribution from 10.00am – 2.00pm until July 15th. The installation will remain in place until July 29th.

IMPROVISATION STATION

Stop in to the winter fest theatre post work and pre-dinner for a little bit of free comic relief. From 6.00pm on the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th July, the members of the Big Hoo Haa will be up on stage performing their brand of improvisational comedy; think a little bit yr 11 drama class and a little bit ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’. The shows don’t work without audience input, so come with your big boy pants and thinking caps on!

THE WINTER FEST SNOW MALL

The chances of us West Aussies seeing snowfall are incredibly slim; unless we leave the state, or find ourselves in the City of Perth snow mall. No matter how old you are, the novelty of seeing little white flakes falling from the sky is not lost. The snow will be falling every Friday in July from 5.00pm – 8.00pm. On the weekends, the snow is scheduled to fall from 2.00pm – 5.00pm.

   **Written in collaboration with City of Perth. All thoughts and opinions are my own