Perth Festival Opens at Cottesloe Beach

The 2012 Perth International Arts Festival had a perfect start to their tenth festival with a big turnout and stunning weather at Cottesloe Beach this morning.

Perth Festival organisers were uncertain how many people would attend with the early start time of 7am but over 2500 people made their way to the beach for the free event.

Just after sunrise Indigenous Noongar elders and performers opened the Festival with Gina Williams performing a Welcome to Country that included traditional dance and storytelling.

Hundreds of local vocalists and musicians had sand between their toes as they performed on the beach with the Indian Ocean as their backdrop.

It's Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway's first Perth Festival this year after working on the Norfolk and Norwich Festival in the United Kingdom.

"There were very beautiful beaches in North Norfolk but not quite this close and not quite this beautiful and not with this weather," Mr Holloway said.

"You wouldn't find many hundreds of people just randomly wandering along a beach at 6am in Norfolk."

Mr Holloway says he wanted to utilise the natural amphitheatre of Cottesloe Beach for the opening of the 2012 Perth Festival.

"We're cheating really, let's be honest, we've come to the view and the space - then we're filling it rather than creating something."

The Cottesloe dawn event is part of the official opening called 'Dusk: Dawn' and will culminate in the Great Southern with a sunset event on the Albany foreshore for the launch of the tenth year of the Great Southern Festival.

Tonight sees the opening of Beautiful Burnout, an exhilarating piece of physical theatre exploring the thrill and beauty of boxing, being hosted here at the ABC in East Perth. Studio 61 has been transformed with a real boxing ring taking centre stage.

Perth Festival organisers estimate that the festival attracts about half a million people to free and paid events each year and are expecting to sell 220,000 tickets to performances this year.

For more information on upcoming Perth Festival events, visit the Perth Festival website.

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Metro Hotels renames iconic Perth property

Formerly Metro Hotel on Canning, Metro Hotels has renamed its Perth property Metro Hotel Perth. The name change coincides with a $3.5 million restoration of the hotel, the appointment of a new General Manager and staff and sales team, and a new restaurant and chef.
Metro Hotels Chief Operating Officer George Bedwani said the decision to revert back to the hotel's original name was part of the Group's strategy to restore the property to its former glory as a Perth icon.
"The hotel is now a well-known landmark on Perth's skyline and has, over the past 35 years, acquired iconic status with residents and visitors alike," Mr Bedwani said.
"There is now significant demand for quality hotel accommodation in Perth. Our decision to undertake a major refurbishment of the hotel is to ensure the hotel lives up to its reputation as a 'must-stay' hotel in Perth.
"With no major hotel developments planned for Perth, Metro Hotels is also capitalising on the excellent position of this property to ensure a quality accommodation experience to satisfy this increased demand."
The hotel completed the first stage of its refurbishment last month, as well as opening a new restaurant, Chez Metro, offering diners Modern French/European cuisine. It has appointed Ramon van de Griendt as Executive Chef. Ramon has worked as executive chef at 5 star fine dining restaurants throughout Europe, including Restaurant 'de molen' in Kaatsheuvel (The Netherlands) which was rated the coveted 1 star Michelin.
Situated on the south side of Perth just 20 minutes from Fremantle, Metro Hotel on Canning enjoys a prime vantage point on the south side of the Swan River.
The hotel has 94 rooms, 70 of which overlook the scenic Swan River, appealing to a broad mix of business and leisure visitors. The hotel has seven conference rooms with a seating capacity for 200 people, its own licensed restaurant and bar, an outdoor swimming pool and parking.

Peattie Public Relations

October 12, 2009