HOW KAYA AND THE WHALE SET THE TONE FOR JOONDALUP FESTIVAL 2026
CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH FREE EXPERIENCES IN PUBLIC SPACES
As much as Joondalup Festival is about putting on great shows, it’s equally invested in creating moments where strangers become collaborators, where public spaces turn magical, and where people of all ages find themselves standing side by side thinking, wow… this is pretty special.
That feeling of togetherness sits right at the heart of two standout experiences bookending this year’s Joondalup Festival: Kaya, led by Noongar performer Phil Walleystack, and The Whale, a giant, interactive puppet experience from WA icons Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.
Different forms. Different stories. Same invitation: come in, be part of it, and feel something together.
“Kaya” means hello – and everyone’s invited
Kaya opens the festival on March 7, and from the very first beat, it’s a welcome. “Kaya means hello, or yes,” Phil Walleystack explains. “We’re saying hello everybody, everybody come together, let’s have a good time and I’m gonna show you a good time about Noongar culture.”
Set outdoors at Neil Hawkins Park, Kaya blends music, dance, storytelling and striking visuals into a performance that feels both ancient and unmistakably now. You’ll see the elements people expect from an Aboriginal performance – didgeridoo, movement, story – but reimagined in ways that surprise.
“You’ll get the expected,” Phil says, “but you’re going to get it on a whole new level as well.”
What sits beneath the spectacle, though, is intention. Kaya is designed to be inviting – a place where people feel safe to laugh, ask questions, dance along, and simply be present.
“It’s an inviting place to be able to tell the Noongar stories and Noongar culture,” Phil says, “but to have a laugh and a dance along the way too.”
At its core, Kaya is also deeply personal. Phil speaks openly about growing up loud, expressive, and often out of place – and how finding his voice as a performer became part of his journey. That story weaves through the show, alongside the broader story of Noongar culture.
“It’s Noongar culture without politics,” he explains. “Without forcing anything onto anybody. It’s about inviting people in and celebrating one of the oldest living cultures in the world.”
And performing it outdoors, on Country, only strengthens that connection.
“When we perform on Country,” Phil says, “the old fellas always look after us. The weather settles. Everything feels right. We know we’re doing the right thing.”
A giant whale, a heap of hands, and a whole lot of awe
If Kaya welcomes you in with story and song, The Whale does it with jaw-dropping scale and quiet magic.
Appearing at Tom Simpson Park, Mullaloo from March 19–22, The Whale is a giant marionette – a floating, breathing, swimming whale brought to life not just by puppeteers, but by the audience itself.
“I think it induces awe,” says Harrison from Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. “You see people walk in, mouths open, completely shocked – then they realise what it is, and they want to explore more.”
Unlike traditional performances, The Whale has no fixed beginning or end. Families wander in, grab a rope, pull a string, and suddenly… the whale moves. Swims. Says hello.
“It’s about using a bunch of strings to bring something to life,” Harrison explains. “There’s something really resonant with the strings that connect us all together.”
Strangers work side by side, often without speaking, responding to each other’s movements. Kids experiment. Adults watch, then join in. Slowly, the whale begins to flow.
“That’s where the magic is,” Harrison says. “People working together towards this shared goal – experiencing joy, connection and awe.”
Why participation matters
For Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, turning spectators into co-creators isn’t a gimmick – it’s the point.
“Our designer Leon Hendroff talks about strings as representative of the things that connect us,” Harrison says. “We can actually use this as a really practical way to incite conversation and connection between complete strangers.”
It’s also why families return night after night.
“There’s so much to explore,” Harrison says. “Kids might be hesitant at first, then suddenly they realise – when I pull this string, something happens. And they don’t want to leave.”
Parents, he laughs, love it for another reason too.
“They’ll pull ropes for an hour, have the best time – and then crash as soon as they get home.”
Different experiences, shared feeling
What unites Kaya and The Whale isn’t just that they’re free, family-friendly or spectacular (though, if we might cheekily add, they are all three). It’s that both are built on invitation – to step closer, to participate, to feel connected.
Phil hopes audiences leave Kaya with questions.
Harrison hopes families leave The Whale with joy and reverence.
Different words – same outcome.
As Joondalup Festival 2026 begins, these two experiences set the tone: open, generous, playful, grounded and deeply human.
Say hello.
Be part of it.
Share the moment.
