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Having promised an exploration of the epic and the intimate, the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival engaged an audience of 1.65 million through its 23 days.

From major public events to audiences of just a handful of people and from giants to the most delicate butterfly, the Festival, which ended last Saturday (7th March), has taken the city of Perth on what Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway describes as “an astonishing journey.”

Holloway explained “festivals are a long time in the preparation and are very quick in the consuming, and the way that audiences have devoured the 2015 Festival has exceeded even our expectations.

“International arts festivals are of course about choices and decisions and I couldn’t be happier with the choices we’ve made in putting together this year’s Festival, or prouder of the decision of our audiences to attend so much, so often.

“The audiences and artists for the Perth Festival are always totally diverse but this year’s Festival really has seen what happens when some of the world’s great artists meet one of the world’s greatest audiences.”

On the epic end of the scale, a massive audience experienced The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of the Giants to the Streets of Perth, by France’s Royal de Luxe, in a three-day free spectacular which opened the 63rd Perth International Arts Festival.

Over three days the narrative wove together a commemoration of the Centenary of ANZAC and a celebration of the Aboriginal community of Western Australia, and above all united the city in child-like wonder.

It has been widely accepted that Perth will never forget the weekend that it walked with Giants.

At a cost of $22 million, the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival attracted its biggest ever audience, with 1.65 million attendances and a gross box office of about $6.1 million, with five weeks of Lotterywest Festival Films still to run.

This year’s Festival was the final festival for Holloway, who has been Artistic Director of the Festival since 2012.

During this time the Festival has delivered on a promise to be an explosion of energy, filling venues from concert halls and theatres to disused buildings and parks.

With each year made up of more than 820 events featuring 1,000 artists from around the world joining hundreds more from Western Australia over three weeks, between 500,000 and 1.65 million people have engaged with the Festival each year.

The 2015 Festival has brought to its conclusion the four ideas Jonathan has explored over his four festivals.

Among the giants of the arts who presented work in the past four Festivals were Lucinda Childs Dance Company, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, James Thiérrée, Peter Brook, The Berliner Ensemble, Mark Morris, Batsheva Dance Company, William Kentridge, Choi Jeong Hwa, U-ram Choe, Do Ho Suh, Mariko Mori, Jeremy Deller, Jim Campbell, Sydney Theatre Company, National Theatre of Scotland, Kronos Quartet, Maceo Parker, Sinead O’Connor, Rufus Wainwright, Booker T Jones, Public Enemy, The National, Bon Iver, Margaret

Atwood, Martin Amis, Elizabeth Gilbert, Hilary Mantel, Richard Flanagan, Eleanor Catton, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, The Sixteen, Sir Richard Armstrong, Lisa Gasteen, Bryce Dessner, Dawn Upshaw, Ludovico Einaudi and Ennio Morricone.

One of the major innovations of Holloway’s tenure has been the Vital Stages program, started in 2012, which has seen a significant increase in collaboration with the local arts sector, with hundreds of local artists featuring in Jonathan’s four Festivals.

Commenting on his four years with the Perth Festival, Holloway added “I’ve had the time of my life in Perth both professionally and personally.

“The beauty and warmth of both the place and the people have made the time my family and I have spent here unforgettable and the extraordinary passion of the Festival team, our supporters, our artists and our audiences have made delivering a festival of this scale and depth both surprisingly easy and unbelievably rewarding.

“From the moment the first feather fell at Place des Anges, I’ve watched people continue to fall in love with arts and culture in this city and I will forever tell the stories of how Western Australia embraced some of the most ambitious and uplifting arts events the world has ever seen.”

Wendy Martin, former head of theatre and dance at the Sydney Opera House, takes over as Perth Festival Artistic Director for 2016. 

Founded in 1953 by The University of Western Australia, the Perth International Arts Festival is the longest running international arts festival in Australia and Western Australia’s premier cultural event.

The Festival has developed a worldwide reputation for excellence in its international program, the presentation of new works and the highest quality artistic experiences for its audience.

For more information go to www.perthfestival.com.au

Images show Black Diggers, as performed at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia (top), Jonathan Holloway (middle) and the Giant Diver (below).

16th February 2015 - 1.4 MILLION WATCH THE GIANTS OPEN PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

27th November 2014 - NEW PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL DIRECTOR REVEALED

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