PLAY DATES | School Holidays July 2025
NAIDOC Week at AGWA
The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy
NAIDOC Week activities are held across Australia each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Sunday 6 – Sunday 13 July 2025
- 10am-5pm, daily | Balancing Act
- 11am-2pm Sun 6 July | Weaving Workshops with artist Sharyn Egan
- 11-11.30am Sat 5 & 12.30-1pm Thu 10 July | Dance and Cultural Workshops with Aboriginal Productions and Promotions
- 11-11.40am Wed 9 July – Isobel Bevis and 1-1.40pm Thu 10 & Sun 13 July – Jayden Boundry | Guest Readers in the Design Store
School Holidays at AGWA – PLAY DATES
Saturday 5 – Sunday 20 July 2025
- 10am-5pm, daily | Re-PLAY
- 10.30-11.30am & 1.30-2.30pm Mon 7 & 14, Wed 9 & 16, Thu 10 & 17 and Fri 11 & 18 July | Re-PLAY Workshops
- 3-4pm daily | Re-PLAY Quiet Hour
- 10.30-11am Mon 7 & 14, Wed 9 & 16 and Fri 11 & 18 July | Family Guided Tours
- 11.30am-Mon 7 & 14 and Wed 9 & 16 July | A Slow Looking Adventure
- 10am-5pm daily | Cast in bronze Sculpture Drawing
- 1-2pm Wed 9 & 16, Fri 11 & 18, Sat 12 & 19 July | Cartoon Character Drawing with Mike Nicholas
- 11-11.40am & 1-1.40pm Mon 7 July – Beau Pearson; 11-11.40am Mon 14 July – Tracy Vo; 11am-12pm Thu 10 July – Nic Naitanui and Liz McGrath and 11-11.40am Wed 16 July – Matt Tinney | Guest Readers in the Design Store
- 1-4pm Sat 5 and 11am-2pm Mon 7 July | Creative Hands with Kindling Creative
- 10am-5pm, daily | The West Australian Pulse
Dance and Cultural Workshops
11-11.40am Sat 5 & 12.30-1pm Thu 10 July | FREE
Owned and operated by the highly respected Dr Richard Walley and his family, Aboriginal Productions and Promotions will deliver a traditional dance and didgeridoo performance as well as a dance and music workshop. These performers will truly immerse you into the Indigenous culture.
The Middar dance group has been performing for almost 50 years, passing down their traditions to the many children, grand-children and even great-grandchildren of past Middar members that have danced with the group. Members of Middar’s next generation will provide a traditional performance as well as a dance and music workshop, sharing and educating participants about the strength of these practices.
Weaving Workshop with artist Sharyn Egan
11am-2pm Sunday 6 July | FREE, bookings required
Celebrate NAIDOC Week these July School holidays and head to AGWA for a weaving workshop with Noongar artist Sharyn Egan.
Interactive and fun, you’ll learn how to make a Totem transforming raffia into your own unique fascinating creature using binding, wrapping and other techniques.
Come and untangle your thoughts, weave your feelings and share ideas about community and connection. Weave a Totem to take with you as a reminder and celebration of Noongar culture.
Re-PLAY Workshops
10.30-11.30am & 1.30-2.30pm Mon 7 & 14, Wed 9 & 16, Thu 10 & 17 and Fri 11 & 18 July | FREE, bookings required
Jump into the off-beat world of Re-PLAY at The Art Gallery of Western Australia with a series of dynamic, artist-led workshops designed especially for children and their families. Inspired by the bold colour and energy of Re-PLAY, these workshops offer a chance to collaborate and experiment with ideas through the art of play.
Led by professional Teaching Artists, participants will explore repetition through pattern and colour, assemblage of unexpected materials into poetic sculptures, and re-imagine everyday discarded objects into new forms of beauty. These workshops encourage kooky thinking and hands-on participation exploring how artists harness play as a powerful tool for creativity and connection.
Perfect for children aged 5–12 and their grown-ups.
Re-PLAY Quiet Hour
3-4pm daily | FREE
A time for rest, reflection and slow play.
Quiet Hour is for slow play and soft listening, offering a quiet space for whispering together and enjoying a lower sensory environment. Notice colours, textures, sounds and sensations. Listen to your heartbeat. Feel your breath rising and falling. Rest.
Suitable for all ages.
Family Guided Tours
10.30am-11am Monday 7 &14, Wednesday 9 & 16 and Friday 11 & 18 July | FREE, bookings required
Our Family Tours are led by our friendly Gallery Guides and invite children and their families to explore amazing artworks, share ideas, and spark creativity together. You’ll dive into stories behind the art, learn about how different materials are used, and enjoy lively conversations shaped by your own thoughts and imagination.
Perfect for children aged 5–12 and their grown-ups.
PLAY DATES – A Slow Looking Adventure
11.30am-12.30pm Monday 7 & 14 and Wednesday 9 & 16 July | FREE, bookings required
Get ready to slow down, look closer and experience art in a whole new way.
This playful walk-and-talk through the Gallery invites you to uncover hidden stories and explore the key ingredients of each artwork. It’s a lively and engaging adventure that blends curiosity, creativity and discovery.
Suitable for all ages.
PLAY DATES – Sculpture drawing
10am-5pm daily | FREE
Whether you’re young or simply young at heart, we invite you and your family to dive into the world of sculpture with our captivating Cast in bronze exhibition. Wander among powerful bronze works and take a closer look at their textures, shapes, and stories. To bring your own artistic touch to the experience, pick up a free graphite drawing pack from the trolley in Gallery 10.
PLAY DATES – Cartoon character drawing
1-2pm Wed 9 & 16, Fri 11 & 18, Sat 12 & 19 July | FREE, bookings required
Step into the magical world of WA cartoonist and illustrator, Mike Nicholas. Mike will let you in on the secrets behind creating awesome characters and hilarious cartoons. You’ll learn some great tricks of the trade and develop helpful drawing habits that ease drawing anxiety and support emerging talent. It’s a chance to laugh, learn, and bring your ideas to life—one sketch at a time.
Perfect for children aged 9 –13 and their grown-ups.
PLAY DATES – Guest readers in the Design Store
FREE, bookings required
11-11.40am Wed 9 July – Isobel Bevis
11-11.40am & 1-1.40pm Mon 7 July – Beau Pearson
1-1.40pm Thu 10 & Sun 13 July – Jayden Boundry
11am-12pm Thu 10 July – Nic Naitanui and Liz McGrath
11-11.40am Mon 14 July – Tracy Vo
11-11.40am Wed 16 July – Matt Tinney
11-11.40am Fri 18 July – Kelly Canby
The AGWA Design Store opens a world of stories these school holidays, where children and parents are warmly invited to settle in for a special series of guest reading sessions. Across 40 delightful minutes, guest readers including TV personalities Matt Tinney, Tracy Vo and Beau Pearson, will share their favourite books—ranging from beloved tales by WA authors to internationally celebrated classics. Come along and let your imagination roam!
PLAY DATES – Creative hands
1-4pm Sat 5 and 11am-2pm Mon 7 July | FREE, bookings required
Pop-up play adventures around the colour wheel
Join Kindling Creative for some unplugged play as we investigate colour theory through playful explorations with loose parts and bold colours that reflect Maxxi Minaxi May’s inspirational Re-PLAY installation. Perfect for all ages, this activation inspires imagination, hands-on problem solving, and artful reflection.
