Carrying the Fire

Carrying the Fire holds different meanings for different people, shaped by what they seek to protect, honour or endure. For the Menang people of the Noongar nation, it carries a deeply practical and ancient significance. For thousands of years, fire was physically carried as a smouldering ember, carefully nestled within slow-burning materials like a banksia pod, to ignite new flames at each campsite. This practice ensured the continuity of life, sustaining people and connection as they moved across the land.  

Fire is also a symbol of home and family, a place for warmth and care.  

Carrying the Fire can take on many meanings. It symbolises custodianship of culture: fire as knowledge that must never be extinguished. It reflects intergenerational responsibility, emphasising what is passed on (values, ethics and memories), rather than what is owned.

A quote often attributed to Gustav Mahler says, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”

It’s a simple but powerful idea: tradition isn’t about holding onto the past for its own sake. It’s about keeping its spirit alive and sharing it with the next generation. Passing on the flame becomes both a real and symbolic act, connecting people through something living, warm and enduring.

Each individual who attends the event will be asked to carry their own ‘fire’, as a symbol of their intention for our shared future.  

As a community-led celebration, we ask attendees to reflect on what Carrying the Fire means to them in today’s world.  

Carrying the Fire will occur on Saturday, 7^th of November, 2026 in locations around Binalup Middleton Beach. The main choreographed part of the evening will commence at 7pm, and runs for about 37 minutes. Please arrive on the beach by 6.30pm.

‍Arrival instructions will be delivered closer to the event through the registration process. Register here.

Your night at a glance

• 4pm: Grab a bite, enjoy a live DJ and play lawn games at Ellen Cove and Firth Street Park, Emu Point.

• 4:00pm - 6:30pm: Head to Albany Golf Course for a free sausage sizzle or ice cream, one each while stocks last. Pick up your ticket from an information marquee.

• 6:30pm: Join us at the main stage at Ellen Cove for the Welcome to Country and speeches.

• 7:00pm: Performance begins along the coastline.

• 7:45pm: Keep the celebration going with a DJ and after-party at Ellen Cove and Emu Point.

• 9:00pm: Event wraps up.  

Only by expert fire performers on the main stage at Ellen Cove. During the finale, expert fire performers create shapes with flame, and a campfire burns on stage, with some smoke nearby.

For the general public, the fire is represented by the use of torches, lamps and lights.

There are many ways to be involved in this community celebration.

Make a lantern.
Build at home using step-by-step DIY guides. Open to all ages and skill levels, participants will craft lanterns inspired by Menang Country. https://www.southernedge.org.au/carryingthefire

Don't have time to make a lantern? Head to our information marquees at the event to collect a lantern to clip onto your mobile phone (limited supply).

Join the Procession.
Line the shores at sunset on 7 November to take part in the illuminated procession. Pre-registration is encouraged for all participants to access vital site maps, mobile light-syncing app and more https://www.southernedge.org.au/carryingthefire

‍

• This event happens in low light conditions.
• The performance involves fast, flashing lights.
• Shells on Middleton Beach are very sharp. We recommend shoes.
• The lantern walk occurs on beach sand, paths and wooden board walk - choose the path that suits you best.
• Keep children close - the lantern walk happens near the water
• The event will be filmed from the air by drones.  At times, these drones will fly low over the water.  
• During the finale, fire performers and a campfire on the main stage at Ellen Cove create open flame and smoke. This is all part of the show.
• A soundtrack plays across the beach for the whole performance, with loud moments and deep booms you may feel near the speakers. A DJ plays from 4pm and at the after-party from 7:45pm at Ellen Cove and Emu Point.
• Expect large crowds of thousands of people, busiest at Ellen Cove during the finale.
• Spring nights on the coast are cold and windy, and the sand is soft. Wear warm clothes and good walking shoes.
• You can quit the Carrying the Fire app at any time and use your phone.  Please reopen the app when you are ready to rejoin the performance.
• Our visual story, audio description and written description take you through the night step by step. Accessibility Information.

Carrying the Fire will take place on the beach, stretching all the way from Emu Point to the Ellen Cove Boardwalk.

We have divided up this 4km length into five zones. Once you have registered, you will be allocated to a zone which suits your access needs. This also helps us to ensure a roughly even spread of people across all zones.

A shuttle bus will operate from the Albany Leisure & Aquatic Centre to only Emu Point (Zone E) and the Albany Golf Course (Zones C & D). Please note the shuttle will not make stops near Zones A & B.

Shuttle buses will run 4:00pm – 9:30pm. First bus will leave ALAC at 4:00pm, last bus will leave Emu Point at 9:30pm.

Overflow parking will be available at Eyre Park, and at the southern end of the Albany golf course, accessed from Wollaston Road.

Accessible (ACROD) parking for ACROD permit holders is next to the Albany Surf Life Saving Club in Zone A.

Please note there is limited designated parking at all zones. We encourage you to carpool!

‍Carrying the Fire welcomes everyone.

Carrying the Fire will transform Albany into a living masterpiece of unity and hope for one of the largest gatherings staged in Western Australia, using thousands of handmade lanterns to illuminate the coastline from Emu Point to Middleton Beach.  

We want every visitor to share in this night, whatever your access needs.

This page helps you plan your visit, from parking and paths to descriptions of what you will see and hear.

Please navigate to this page: Accessibility Information to find out more and download our accessibility guides.

We strongly discourage participants from bringing their pets to this event. Although it is taking place in open, public areas, some of which normally welcome pets, in this case the darkness, crowds, and flashing lights might result in a distressing experience for pets.

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other assistance animals are welcome.

Water

Warm Layers

Snacks

Fully charged phone

Your lantern!

• Taking it home: Your lantern is yours to keep. Many of you made yours by hand at a community workshop, so take it home as a keepsake of the night.

• Leaving it behind: Drop paper lanterns at any information marquee and Southern Edge Arts will recycle them. Place all other lanterns in the general waste bins.  

Materials and recycling:

• Biyarra/banksia and sea star lanterns are made from used Tetra Pak cartons, giving this packaging a second life as art.

• Kwornt lanterns are made from sticks, cotton fabric and string. Remove the rubber band, and the rest can go in your compost.

• The pre-cut paper biyarra lanterns you can collect on the night can go in your recycling bin.

We have thought carefully about the environmental footprint of Carrying the Fire. Phones light the lanterns, so you can join in with the device already in your pocket.  

Children without a phone can light their sea star lanterns with a hand-held torch from home.

Our lanterns are made from reused, compostable and recyclable materials, and we encourage everyone to take theirs home as a keepsake.

www.albany2026.com.au/flagship/balgang-albany  

www.albany2026.com.au/events/carrying-the-fire

https://www.southernedge.org.au/carryingthefire‍

For lantern-making workshop enquiries: contact Southern Edge Arts CTF Team, ctf@southernedge.org.au , 0493 717 689.

Accessibility Information - please find more information here.

‍

Or alternatively, contact us directly:  

Patrick Donovan

patrick.donovan@form.net.au  

Office: 08 9385 2200 

www.form.net.au

Founded in 1985, Southern Edge Arts (SEA) is a thriving community organisation dedicated to sparking imagination and creativity in children, young people and the communities in which they live. SEA’s rich history includes collaborations with nationally and internationally acclaimed artists to create performances that connect people and ideas.  Our work extends beyond our home base in Kinjarling Albany, reaching out to schools, community groups, and public spaces across the Great Southern region.  

We take pride in our long-standing relationships with First Nations communities and continue to ensure cultural safety through respectful partnerships and the employment of First Nation artists. As one of Western Australia’s largest and most enduring youth organisations, SEA is a creative oasis, where every workshop, event and performance is a step towards building a vibrant, inclusive, and artistic future for all.

www.southernedge.org.au  

FORM is an independent, not-for-profit arts and cultural organisation based in Perth and operating across Western Australia and beyond.  

Our mission is to drive the growth of a dynamic creative economy that enhances the wellbeing of all Western Australian communities.

At FORM, we envision Western Australia as a flourishing and interconnected contributor to the global creative economy. We aspire to showcase the richness and excellence of Western Australian cultural expression, sharing it with audiences and communities both locally and internationally. This vision is brought to life through our core values: creativity, excellence, integrity, community empowerment and collaboration.