The 7 Best Things To Do In Perth This December
Despite the fact that Perth’s weather rarely dips anywhere below ‘comfortable and completely pleasant’, locals sure are eager for it to tick over to summer. So now that it’s December, they can finally relax and enjoy the city in full swing. And lucky for them, there’s ample opportunity to do so. From watching movies in the sky to reliving Melbourne Cup glamour to buying Christmas presents less ordinary, here’s your December in Perth sorted.
#1 Camp at the Disconnect Festival
This brand-spankin’ boutique festival is a hipster’s utopia, with a solid line-up of lumbersexuals (Chet Faker, Father John Misty), psych rockers (Pond, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) and breezy electro (Flight Facilities, Neon Indian). Held in the grassy Fairbridge Village, the three-day camping event has gourmet brekkie and creative workshops by day, comedy and burlesque by night, and enough indie craft wares to give Etsy a run for its money. The awesome 30-strong line-up of acts will be scattered among four separate stages, including a secret garden spot and a late night speakeasy for after-hours debauchery. Given WA has said adios to Soundwave, Big Day Out and Future Music, we’ll be welcoming this festival with wide open arms. May it be a banger! It happens from December 11-13.
#2 Eat some roast duck at Dainty Dowager
Leederville’s Low Key Chow House only popped up a year ago, but its moreish pan-Asian cuisine and tongue-in-cheek branding has turned it into a bit of a Perth staple. So we have it on good authority that Dainty Dowager, the latest foray from the Low Key crew will be a hit. Perth’s newest – and only – roasting house and bar is inspired by 1920s China, cloaked in darkness except for low light from ornate lanterns for a sultry opium den vibe. Their crispy roast pork and duck bao are must-trys.
#3 Rooftop Movies
The kitschy-cool cinema pops up each summer on top of the Roe Street car park, complete with a retro box office and food carts, pink flamingos, colanders strewn like fairy lights, and panoramic views of the Perth city skyline. Choose your movie – cult ’90s classic or blockbuster new release? – and head up the rooftop for an ol’ fashioned good time. Didn’t have time to eat beforehand? Dough Pizza downstairs delivers right to the top.
#4 Paspaley Polo in the City
Let’s face it: this event is just an excuse to give that ridiculous Melbourne Cup hat another workout. Or you could just like polo. Whatever. Either way, the celebration of the ancient sport (one of the oldest in the world, apparently) is set to be glamorous. Buy an entry to the polo lounge, which has a shady beer garden, fashion shows, and a DJ, or splash out on a marquee for luxe extras. It happens on December 5.
#5 Sets on the Beach: Start of Summer Party
When this feel-good beach party rolls around, it’s like a foghorn announcing summer has officially arrived: the laidback tunes, coastal setting, and tanned patrons are synonymous with the season. On December 6, jam out to electro faves like Bag Raiders and CLN down set on Port Beach’s ridiculously good-looking coast, and feel smug to be in Perth over December.
#6 Vegfest
If your friends are giving you a hard time about being vegan, blow them off and head to Vegfest instead. You’ll meet hordes of other veggie-friendly folk at this celebration of plant-based organic eating. Included in the – totally free – entry is nutrition and diet advice, and enough food samples to feed a vegan army. Plus, you can connect with local producers and organic farmers to find out why exactly your homegrown coriander keeps wilting or your tomatoes are turning into mush. Who said you couldn’t make friends with salad? It happens at the Esplanade Park in Fremantle on December 5.
#7 Do your Christmas shopping at Bazaar
If you’re guilty of doing a last-minute dash to the mall and ending up with generic uninspired gifts every damn year, get thee to Bazaar. The three-day Christmas market at Fremantle Arts Centre is chock-full of local artisans spruiking their wares, whether its jewellery, textiles, sculpture or woodwork, and you can find some real treasured among them. Just be prepared to deal with the crowds – according to the Facebook event, a whopping 28,000 people are planning to head down. It runs from December 4-6.
(Lead image: Sets on the Beach/Facebook)
