Celebrate WA Cancels Three Wa Day Events, Geraldton Stays Open

Celebrate WA cancelled multiple wa day festivals planned for Monday after squally conditions engulfed the entire southwest of the State on Sunday. The free Fremantle event, billed as Perth’s main WA Day celebration, was among those cancelled or postponed.

Fremantle and Albany

Celebrate WA made the decision a day in advance, citing destructive weather, forecasts for possible tornadoes and flash flooding, and winds that were strong enough to make bump-in unsafe. The Fremantle event was to be held around the fishing boat harbour and Bathers Beach and had been set to include live entertainment, cultural experiences, family fun and performances throughout the day.

Celebrate WA said, "Strong winds are making it impossible to safely bump in the event, and conditions are not expected to improve sufficiently for a public event of this scale to proceed safely". It also said, "The safety of patrons, performers, artists, vendors, staff, volunteers and event partners is always the overriding priority."

Geraldton on Monday

Geraldton was the only centre still holding official celebrations on Monday. Its free event was set to feature Karloo Rockers, who were due to bring rock, reggae and country to the stage, along with cultural performances, archery and rope course fun, animal encounters and children’s activities.

The cancellations in Fremantle, Albany and Kalgoorlie left one centre proceeding with official WA Day celebrations while the State’s major celebration in Burswood had already been pushed to November. Celebrate WA also said other regional towns and cities were to host similar festivities in the coming weeks, including Broome, Newman, Port Hedland, Karratha and Carnarvon.

Burswood and Coming Weeks

For people planning to attend the cancelled events, the practical change is immediate: the Monday programs in three centres were off, while Geraldton remained the only official option. The wider WA Day calendar still includes the Burswood event in November and additional celebrations across regional centres in the coming weeks.