Highs and Lows' Community Always returns with a spotlight on ARRIVAL, a non-profit winter music festival bringing bold, boundary-pushing sounds to the heart of Walyalup/Fremantle. Held across The Naval Store, PS Art Space and the Buffalo Club, ARRIVAL fills a long-standing gap in WA’s national touring calendar with a programme that champions the alternative, the emerging and the unexpected. Born from a deep love of Boorloo’s arts scene, ARRIVAL invites the local community to gather in intimate spaces and share in the energy of artists like Jessica Pratt, BKTHERULA, DIIV and Mount Kimbie, alongside a rich lineup of national and local acts. It’s more than a festival. It is a call to show up, take a chance and help shape a cultural rhythm that belongs to everyone.

What inspired the creation of ARRIVAL and what makes it unique?

ARRIVAL is a new non-profit winter music festival in Walyalup/Fremantle held across three venues in May/June – The Naval Store, PS Art Space & Buffalo Club. We created the festival to bridge the gap for Western Australia in the Winter national touring circuit, and offer our vibrant community a boundary pushing music program of international, national and local alternative artists with high-quality music events beyond commercial venues.

What are some exciting things coming up for ARRIVAL?

We're excited to be bringing international heavyweights Jessica Pratt, BKTHERULA, DIIV & Mount Kimbie to Walyalup/Fremantle, all off the back of some brilliant records they have released in the past year. We're equally as thrilled to round out the rest of the program with some incredible national and local acts. The festival will be a great opportunity for patrons to discover new acts in these unique spaces. We're excited to continue developing the festival next year with a dedicated arts program also.

How important is community to your business?

We are so passionate about Western Australia and its ongoing significance as a hub for music, arts and culture. Boorloo/Perth has such an incredibly vibrant arts community and our mission is to continue to nurture and develop this for many years to come. We've secured funding for this year’s edition but we do, however, depend on strong community support. Government grants rarely prioritise boundary-pushing programmes like ours, so it’s on us. Buy tickets. Donate via the ACF. Bring your friends along. Take a risk on an artist you don’t know. Let’s build this culture together.

Thanks for reading! Listen to ARRIVAL's playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.