Venue
Riverside Drive, Perth WA 6000, Australia
Australia Day in the City, Perth (Langley Park Drone and Fireworks Show)
Australia Day in the City, Perth (Langley Park Drone and Fireworks Show) guide
Drones and fireworks over Langley Park.
In short
Perth's Australia Day in the City on Tuesday 26 January 2027 suits locals and visitors who want a relaxed day on the riverside lawns, no ticket needed. Bring friends, find a patch of grass near the food vans and stay past sunset for the drone and fireworks show. Check the full program, which the City of Perth releases in the weeks beforehand.
Australia Day in the City is how Perth's council marks the national day: a long, easy-going gathering on the riverside lawns below the office towers. People come for the company as much as the entertainment, claiming a patch of grass with friends and family and staying on until well after sunset, when the night closes with lights in the sky.
Its appeal lies in how little effort it asks. Nobody needs a ticket or a plan. You drift between the water's edge, the food vans and whatever is happening on the lawn, and for one evening the centre of a business city feels given over to its residents.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Perth, Australia
Venue: Langley Park
Held: Every year
Type of event: Party Events, Live Events, National Day
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD, $)
Time zone: Australian Western Standard Time (UTC+8, no daylight saving)
Language: English
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Sun protection and supplies for the foreshore
Langley Park is a long grassed strip beside the river, and a full visit keeps you outdoors from mid-afternoon until after dark. Plan for sun first and cooler air later.
- Bring hats, sunscreen and plenty of water, and a rug or low chairs for the evening.
- Pack reusable cutlery and plates if you plan to buy from the food trucks; organisers encourage it.
- A small torch or phone light helps when you pack up after dark.
- Agree a meeting point with children early in the day, away from the carnival rides.
Alcohol rules and conditions of entry
Perth's riverside celebrations have had firm alcohol controls since 2010, introduced after serious trouble in earlier years. Check the City of Perth's conditions of entry for the current year before you bring any drinks, and expect police and event staff to enforce them.
First aid is on site through St John. If you need information on the day, the City of Perth runs a 24-hour line on 08 9461 3333. Keep dogs at home; crowds, fireworks and drones overhead make for a stressful evening for pets.
Accessible facilities and quieter spaces
The 2026 event provided accessible toilets and ACROD parking for permit holders. The lawn fills up as the evening goes on, so claim a spot near a path edge early if you need to move a wheelchair or pram. The paid picnic zone, with seating and shade, can be easier for anyone who struggles to sit on the ground for hours.
Fireworks and amplified sound are loud near the water. Ear defenders help young children and anyone sensitive to noise, and a spot towards the back of the park softens the impact while keeping the drone images readable.
What happens on the day
- 15:00
Gates and Multicultural Zone open
Performances, stalls and craft workshops (2026 timings).
- 15:25
Welcome to Country
Early in the afternoon program.
- 15:30 to 19:15
Stunt riders and film dome
Freestyle motocross and BMX, and Auspire's Reflect Respect Celebrate Film Dome until 20:00.
- 19:15
Skydivers
Five skydivers dropped into Langley Park in 2026.
- 20:30
Drones and fireworks
About 30 minutes over the Swan River; wind can delay the start.
- 21:30
Site closes
Road closures held until about 23:00.
Arriving early for a spot at Langley Park
Plan this as an afternoon-to-night outing. The smart move is to arrive early, spread a picnic rug and stay through to the light show. The best ground is on Langley Park itself or along the Riverside Drive foreshore, which the City of Perth recommends because the drones are arranged for that angle and the narrated soundtrack plays from towers across the park.
If you want comfort over a free patch of lawn, the paid Hancock Prospecting Picnic Zone in 2026 offered seating and shade from 3pm. Carnival rides sat at the west end of the park, which is worth knowing if you want to keep children close to them or as far away as possible.
From Skyworks fireworks to a drone show
For almost four decades Perth marked Australia Day with Skyworks, a fireworks display launched over Perth Water. It began on 26 January 1985 as the 96fm Sky Show, later carried the Lotterywest name, and at its peak drew more than 300,000 people to the foreshore, Kings Park and South Perth. The 2004 show was the biggest of all and the most troubled, with hundreds of arrests. Alcohol was banned outright in 2010, and designated drinking zones came in the following year.
Only two years were missed, one of them 2021, when the pandemic cancelled the show. Then, in April 2022, the City of Perth council voted to end Skyworks, citing waning interest, environmental concerns and a budget that had climbed to 2.5 million dollars.
Since 2023 the city has staged something smaller and closer to the shore: a combined drone and fireworks show in front of Langley Park, wrapped in a free family program. Hancock Prospecting now backs it as principal partner. The day has also gained room for reflection, through the Multicultural Zone and Auspire's film dome of short educational films. The park itself has history too, as a strip of land reclaimed from the river and used as an airstrip since the 1920s.
Getting there
Flying in
The Airport line runs from Airport Central (terminals 1 and 2) to Perth station, every 15 minutes outside peak hours. Walk down through the CBD to the foreshore.
By train on the day
Elizabeth Quay station, under Mounts Bay Road and William Street, on the Mandurah and Yanchep lines, is the handiest stop; Perth Underground is one stop north. Allow extra time.
Road closures
In 2026 parts of Riverside Drive and Victoria Avenue closed from 2pm, Barrack Street and the Elizabeth Quay roads from 3pm, and parts of The Esplanade, St Georges Terrace and Adelaide Terrace from 7pm, mostly until about 11pm.
Driving
Aim for the Pier Street or Point Fraser car parks, or the Convention Centre car park via Mounts Bay Road. Towing is enforced in the closure zone.
Where to stay during the festival
CBD hotels near St Georges Terrace or on Adelaide Terrace are an easy walk from Langley Park, which spares you the post-show scramble for trains. Book early.
Roads around the foreshore close from mid-afternoon, so drivers should check in before 2pm.
Weather and what to pack
Late January is the height of Perth's dry summer. The Perth Metro station averages a January high of 31.4°C and a low of 18.1°C, with rain on only one or two days in the month (Bureau of Meteorology, 1993-2023).
The afternoon on open grass is hot; the evening sea breeze cools things down for the show.
Worth packing
- Sunscreen, a hat and water
- A picnic rug
- A light layer for after dark
- Insect repellent for the riverside
Car hire in Perth
Airport transfer to Australia Day in the City, Perth (Langley Park Drone and Fireworks Show)
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Langley Park.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Yes, entry and the light show cost nothing. You pay only for carnival rides, games, food trucks and seats in the picnic zone.
You will see fireworks, but the drone images are designed to be read from Langley Park and the Riverside Drive foreshore. From further away you also lose the soundtrack and event facilities.
Hancock Prospecting is the principal event partner of the City of Perth's program, which also receives support from the Australian Government through the National Australia Day Council.
Skyworks drew over 400,000 people in its record year of 2004. Numbers had fallen to around 100,000 by the final show in 2022, one reason the council scaled it back.
The 2022 display was the first supplied by Western Australian company Cardile Fireworks, which fired it from 21 barges spread across Perth Water.
Plenty. It hosted World Rally Championship stages between 1992 and 2005, served as the airfield for the Red Bull Air Race from 2006 to 2008 and welcomed the West Coast Eagles home after their 2018 premiership.
Timing & weather
See the day timeline above for the 2026 timing. Wind can delay it, and next year's timing will be confirmed when the City publishes its program.
Yes. In 2026 a section of the Swan River was closed from 2pm until midnight. Boat owners should check the Department of Transport's notice to mariners for the current year.
Prices & payment
The 2019 show had a budget of about 1.9 million dollars, with Lotterywest contributing a 435,000-dollar grant. The council expected the smaller replacement to save more than 1.5 million dollars.
What's included
It does, through the Multicultural Zone and a formal welcome early in the afternoon. Auspire's film dome adds short educational films about the meaning of the day.
Stay & facilities
Either works. Food trucks serve dishes from around the world from the afternoon, and a home-made picnic works just as well, with a food truck dinner later on.
