The best things to do around Perth with the kids over the September school holidays

With school holidays rapidly approaching, you might be wondering what’s on offer around town to keep the tiny ones occupied (and give you a little breathing room).

Read on below for a few ideas, some of them for a limited time only, some of them good any time of the year!

The Perth Royal Show @ Claremont Showground (September 21-28)

The Perth Royal Show is back, running from September 21-28 at the Claremont Showground. In case you missed the news, WA’s most iconic celebration of community, agriculture and fun also announced that kids under 15 get in for free, with ticket prices for everyone else halved! Find out more and get amongst the fun via perthroyalshow.com.au.

Groundswell Festival (Oct 5-6)

Taking over the last weekend of the school hols you’ll find the returning Groundswell Festival – WA’s biggest free youth multi-sports, lifestyle, music, and wellness event. Scarborough Beach and surrounds will play home to Perth’s ultimate weekend of surf, skate, 3×3 streetball comps, BMX bowl comps and stunt demos, DJs and live music, street art, food trucks, markets, free workshops, and activities. There’s also beach volleyball, a free dodgeball arena, live music in the amphitheatre and the soul-nourishing Tipi Village. Head to groundswellfestival.org to get all the gnarly deets.

The York Festival (Sep 20-29)

York, Western Australia’s oldest inland town, is once again hosting the York Festival, taking place in the first week of the Spring school holidays from September 20-29. This year’s festival promises another enriching blend of music, theatre, family activities and workshops, set against the backdrop of York’s stunning historical landscape. Now in its eighth year, there’ll be day and weekend passes on offer, making it easier than ever to get amongst the fun at York Festival – find out more at yorkfestival.com.au.

PAINT CLUB @ Karrinyup Shopping Centre (Sep 30-Oct 3)

Celebrated WA artist Elle Campbell is coming to Karrinyup these school holidays, bringing a series of interactive workshops for kids of all ages! PAINT CLUB has been designed to ignite creativity with hands-on artistic exploration, creating your very own masterpiece under Elle’s expert guidance. Tickets are $10 – book ahead via the Karrinyup website.

Boom Festival @ Various (September 26-28)

For something a little different, In just a few short weeks Perth will play host to the only national percussion festival in Australia, BOOM! Festival of Percussion. Hosted by WAAPA and presented by Percussion Australia, the second edition of the event beats its way into Perth from September 26-28, with concerts, masterclasses, community workshops, late-night events and more to explore. An authentic testament to Australia’s multiculturalism, the event is a showcase of the diverse drumming and percussion styles from around the globe, with cultural roots in Asia, South America, Europe, and Africa.

Kangaroo Safari @ The Vines

For something a little more unique why not head to the Swan Valley’s Vines Resort and jump on a Kangaroo Safari? Immerse yourself in the lush surrounds of the area while witnessing kangaroos up close and learning about the beloved Aussie marsupials from knowledgable guides. You can also tee it up with some mini golf while you’re out there, and add drinks or food packages to the experience if you want. Find out more here.

The Revival House @ Como Theatre

The Revival House is dedicated to bringing the Como Theatre back to its cinematic roots by screening movies exclusively from 16mm or 35mm film prints! Catch a mix of cult faves, Academy Award-winners, cinema classics, kids jams and more on the big screen in the beautiful surrounds of the art deco Como Theatre. Check out their upcoming program here, which features heaps of kid-friendly programming over the holidays.

Disney Princess Adventures @ Westfield

If you’ve got some Disney Princess fans amongst your brood, Westfield shopping centres all over town have a variety of pop-up activations to enjoy while hitting the shops. The stations will offering fun school holidays activities for kids of all ages, including Fairy Godmother wand-making sessions, bead bracelets
and crown decorating.

To The Moon @ WA Museum Boola Bardip

Throughout human history, the Moon has been an object of intrigue, reverence, and curiosity, influencing cultures, driving science and fuelling the imaginations of millions. WA Museum Boola Bardip’s latest exhibition is going all in on our closest celestial neighbour with an immerse new exhibition covering lunar art, pop culture, planetary science, historical insights, the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and much more. Get all the details here.

Check into the Hijinx Hotel

Funlab, the mad minds behind Holey Moley and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq have just opened a wild new playground in Perth with Hijinx Hotel. The competitive playground features 10 challenge rooms that’ll test you and your friends inside a Wes Anderson meets Willy Wonka meets New York-style hotel.

Archie Brothers Fun Bundle

Speaking of Archie Brothers, Funlab are have another special this holidays. The Archie Brothers Fun Bundle helps family and friends have a blast, whether its bowling, arcade gaming, mini golf or games rooms! For $35 you’ll get a one-hour games card worth $15, plus two other activities of your choice! Get more info and get booking here.

Scitech

Alongside AQWA, Scitech remains Perth’s ultimate “have fun while you learn” location and as always they’ve got a huge lineup of exhibitions, workshops and more to keep the kids entertained this school holidays. Head to their What’s On page to plan your next adventure.

Bounce into… Bounce!

The indoor freestyle playground comes in at a whopping almost-3,000 square metres, and features 50 interconnected trampolines, cliff jumping, wall running, wall climb arena, giant inflatable soft-landing pit known as the Big Bag and adventure challenge course the X-Park, for the real thrillseekers. Head to the website for more info and to book a visit now.

Mini Golf

Perth is flush with a variety of fantastic options to suit kids of all ages (even the parents!). We did the homework for you and went on a deep dive to discover all the best courses around Perth – click here to find them all, including the epic new offering at Matagarup.

Take A Hike

Perth is filled with fantastic walking and hiking trails, both in the city and just out of it. Fortunately many of these walking trails are perfect to take the kids along to, and are guaranteed to at least tucker them out for one night! Here’s our list of kid-friendly walking trails to get you started.

AQWA

We have some fond childhood memories of visiting AQWA, so it’s always a relief to discover that the aquarium is getting better and better for each generation. Kids can marvel at the iconic marine life of WA in exhibits that closely replicate the natural environments – did you know that AQWA is one of only a few aquariums in the world that don’t use artificial coral? They’ve got heaps of year-round experiences to get close up to the marine life, plus a selection of extra activities scheduled for the school holidays, which you can check out here.

Rio Tinto Naturescape, Kings Park

Get in touch with nature at Rio Tinto’s Naturescape in Kings Park. The dedicated naturespace offers an incredibly engaging way for kids to experience and understand the Western Australian bush. Covering six hectares, it features the likes of large aerial walkways, a creek and waterhole for wading in, a cubby-building area, tunnels, rocks, climbing rocks and more. Once you’ve conquered it pop over the Synergy Parklands for an awesome nature playground and huge dinosaurs to climb on.

Nostalgia Box

Nostalgia Box is the perfect spot to show your kids what gaming used to be about! Having relocated to West Perth from their OG Northbridge home, it’s home to over 100 video game consoles dating all the way back to the 1970s, providing incredibly detailed histories for all of them. Most importantly, there’s an interactive area where you can play a bunch of old games like Mario Kart, Space Invaders, Pong and more. It’s important to BOOK AHEAD, where you’ll find kids passes are only $13.20 (adults $18.70).

Playground Playdates

Late last year we went on a little hunt to find the best kids playgrounds around Perth, and managed to dig up 20 that are not only great (one even has a volcano), but will keep the tiny ones occupied for hours (check ‘em HERE). We’ve also located a heap of great nature playgrounds to explore, which you can check out HERE. The only thing remaining is to see how many you can tick off, and how many you can these hols!

Header Image: The Vines