City of Albany releases Albany 2026 bicentenary program detailing seven flagship events for the year

The agenda for WA’s first bicentenary commemoration has been confirmed, with the City of Albany releasing its seven-event program for 2026 on Tuesday.

The diverse program includes a range of arts, cultural and community events that Albany mayor Greg Stocks hopes will “highlight our community’s shared history which extends beyond the past 200 years”.

Alongside the flashy 1000ha light installation by Finnish artist Kari Kola around King George Sound, six other flagship events aim to showcase and examine important elements of the city’s past and hopes for the future.

The Museum of the Great Southern will host an exhibition celebrating the Menang people’s connection to Kinjarling, through artefacts demonstrating their relationships with early settlers and modern fishing stories.

A collaboration between the WA Opera, Breaksea and Menang elders will result in the Albany Project, a production described as a “groundbreaking fusion of music and storytelling”.

Photographs of past and present iconic Albany panoramas will be showcased in the Albany Then & Now exhibition at the museum, with attendees able to visually explore the town’s transformation over its 200 years.

THEATRE 180 will work with the local community to collect stories for their production Albany — Our Place, Rain or Shine, a show which will offer theatrical performances that involve and commemorate Albany’s history and diverse community.

Titled First Lights Kinjarling, Fremantle Bienalle will deliver an immersive experience of guided walks, sound journeys and drone light shows led by Menang knowledge-holders and artists.

The final piece of the program called Djinung Maat consists of community events such as yarning circles, school walking events, public planting days and public lectures.

Alongside the seven major events, the city will fund community group-driven projects and initiatives that will be scattered throughout the year.