Perth International Cabaret Festival has announced its closure and cancellation of its 2025 program after a significant shortfall in funding.
Perth International Cabaret Festival has announced its closure and cancellation of its 2025 program after a significant shortfall in funding.
The festival's board said despite strong support from patrons, partners, funders and supporters, it could not secure funding for day-to-day operations and its long-term sustainability.
Partners included the state government, Lotterywest and the City of Perth, and patrons and musicians Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse.
Perth International Cabaret Festival chair John Poulsen, who was the former Australian managing partner and chief executive of global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, said the festival was set to announce a “world-class” 2025 program with international, national and local artists.
“The cancellation now affects over 50 artists and a wide range of local suppliers and contractors who were counting on the work,” Mr Poulsen said.
The company was established in 2019 and first launched at His Majesty’s Theatre in 2021.
The not-for-profit arts festival claims to have injected more than $4 million directly into the WA economy and estimates the total economic impact reached $10 million since it started.
Perth International Cabaret Festival states it had a 98 per cent audience return rate each year and attracted 5 to 10 per cent of attendees from outside Perth who averaged a three-night accommodation stay.
In 2024, the organisation claims it generated more than $4.5 million in economic impact with almost 6,000 attendees.
Mr Poulsen said the festival was part of the state government's Creative WA 10-year strategic plan, supporting the growth of emerging talent.
“This is a heartbreaking outcome for a festival that consistently delivered cultural, social and economic value,” he said.
“We created something truly special and it’s devastating to see it leave a hole in the winter arts and events calendar in Perth – not because of a lack of vision, passion or success, but because foundation financial support could not be secured.”
In its four-year run, the event hosted more than 300 artists in more than 100 shows.
Alongside Lotterywest and the City of Perth, the festival offered free community events, including performances, artist interviews and workshops.
This follows a series of arts and cultural events that have been canned this year due to insufficient funding, including iconic coastal arts exhibition Sculpture by the Sea.
The event, which has been running for 20 years, fell $700,000 short of its target after national peak arts body Creative Australia pulled funding.
Sculpture by the Sea is set to return to Cottesloe in 2026 with bipartisan federal support and funding from Austrade.
