The Beaufort Street Festival, 2010–2015

Each November from 2010, Beaufort Street did something extraordinary. The road was closed between Highgate and Mount Lawley, and stages, stalls, art and food filled the asphalt. The Beaufort Street Festival grew into one of the largest free community events in Perth, before becoming, in the words of the press, a victim of its own success.

The town team

The festival was created by the Beaufort Street Network, formed in 2009. The City of Vincent describes it as Western Australia’s first "town team", a group of residents, businesses and volunteers who came together to improve and promote their street. The town team model has since been adopted by many other Perth neighbourhoods.

A street becomes a stage

The first festival was held in 2010. Over the following years the event expanded to cover a long stretch of the street between Highgate and Mount Lawley. Typical features included:

• live music stages featuring local bands and DJs;
• street food and restaurants trading onto the road;
• art installations, performers and roving entertainment;
• community stalls from local groups and makers;
• family zones and activities.

The City of Vincent Local History Centre says the festival attracted around 150,000 people in its final year.

Why it ended

In March 2016, the Beaufort Street Network announced that the festival would not go ahead. Reports in WAtoday and the Perth Voice explained that the event had become too big and too costly. WAtoday reported running costs of about 00,000. Funding a festival of that scale was difficult for a not-for-profit, volunteer-driven group. The network said it would focus on smaller community events across the year.

The legacy

The festival changed perceptions of Beaufort Street. It brought crowds to the strip, showcased local businesses and artists, and demonstrated what a community-led group could achieve. It also contributed to the street art and laneway projects of the period (see art) and inspired other town teams across Perth.

Calls for a return

In 2019 the Perth Voice reported calls for the festival to return. Since then, smaller events and activations have taken place on the street, but a full-scale festival has not been revived. Any future event would face the same challenges of cost, road closures and volunteer capacity.

Before the festival

The festival built on two decades of revival. The City of Vincent’s Highgate history says the refurbishment of the Queens Hotel in 1986 and the restoration of the Astor in 1989 reinvigorated Beaufort Street as a café and restaurant precinct. By the late 2000s the strip was busy, but residents and traders wanted a stronger shared identity. That desire led to the Beaufort Street Network and, a year later, the first festival.

Smaller events

After 2016 the network focused on smaller events. Archived pages from its website record activities such as artisan and art markets, a Mary Street "pop-up piazza", sundowner gatherings, a "Dogtober" dog show, an Inside Out weekend and laneway long-table dinners. These events kept the community spirit going at a scale volunteers could manage.

Festival day, step by step

From archived programs and news coverage, a typical festival day followed a pattern. Road closures and setup began early in the morning. Stalls and stages opened by late morning, crowds peaked in the afternoon and evening, and the street was cleaned and reopened late at night. Public transport was diverted around the closure, and visitors were encouraged to arrive by bus or on foot. The logistics show why costs grew as crowds increased.

Remembering the festival

If you went, you probably remember the crowds outside the Astor, the sound of competing stages and dinner eaten standing in the middle of the road. If you didn’t, you can still find photographs and coverage in local news archives, the State Library and the City of Vincent Local History Centre.

Why street festivals matter

Street festivals give neighbourhoods a chance to show themselves off and bring people together. They also show how much work goes into closing a road safely: traffic management, security, cleaning, insurance, permits and public transport changes. The Beaufort Street Festival’s rise and end is a useful case study for any community group planning an event.

Who made it happen

Like most town team events, the festival relied on many contributors: volunteers who planned and staffed it, local businesses that traded and sponsored, artists and musicians who performed, and the City of Vincent and other agencies that handled permits, road closures and public safety. Its success depended on that partnership, and so did its end, because the costs and workload grew faster than the resources of a volunteer-led group. Anyone hoping to revive it would need to rebuild that coalition first.

Lessons for organisers

• Scale gradually. Growth brings costs that can outpace sponsorship.
• Plan funding early. Large free events depend on grants, sponsors and council support.
• Protect volunteers. Burnout is a real risk for community-run events.
• Keep it local. The festival’s appeal came from local businesses, artists and residents.

Continue

Explore the art and culture hub or read about Mount Lawley.