The Perth Festival, Australia's longest-running arts event, inaugurated its latest edition with an outdoor spectacle featuring music, light sculptures, and interactive storytelling. Participants were encouraged to share their heartfelt stories through a vintage red phone installed on a bridge, creating a sense of community engagement. This event aims to capture personal narratives, making the festival a platform for both artistic expression and emotional connection among attendees.

Historically, the Perth Festival has a rich tradition of large-scale public events, with a notable peak in 2015 when the artistic director secured over $5 million to showcase extraordinary performances, such as two giant puppets that attracted approximately 1.4 million visitors to the streets of Perth. In recent years, the festival opened with engaging presentations highlighting Noongar culture through sound and light projections, drawing significant crowds and enriching the local cultural tapestry.

Following challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted many planned events in previous years, the current edition of the Perth Festival marks a return to form for the celebration of arts and culture. The involvement of social media in promoting stories shared via the old red phone reflects the festival's commitment to modern engagement while honoring traditional storytelling, making it relevant for contemporary audiences.