Thousands of people gathered in Perth’s CBD on Sunday for the 2026 Telethon Family Festival, where Wellington Street was transformed into a free carnival featuring rides, live performances, food trucks and charity activities.
Presented by Coles, the festival stretched for hundreds of metres and offered families unlimited access to attractions including the Lotterywest Kids Carnival, which featured nearly a dozen rides such as the teacups, Dream Swinger and Runaway Train.
Long queues formed as children competed in traditional sideshow games for large plush toys, while performers, celebrities and Telethon beneficiary stalls welcomed visitors along the route.
Loren Karpinczyk brought her children Lyla, seven, and Ry, four, to the event for the third consecutive year. She said the family had spent the morning moving between the rides and games.
“We always look forward to it, and it’s nice knowing that the money is going towards something important, so we don’t mind doing all the games and all the rides,” she said.
Ms Karpinczyk said both children had benefited from services supported by Telethon. Ry had received speech therapy through Telethon Speech and Hearing, while Lyla was born prematurely and spent time in neonatal intensive care.
“It just breaks my heart to think all of these sick children, and I think it’s such a nice way to come together and fundraise,” she said.
Families join Perth Telethon celebrations
Among the attractions were face painting, a sensory station, a petting zoo and live karaoke hosted by Radio Lollipop. Street performers and characters including Fat Cat and Batman also moved through the crowds.
Channel 7 personality Rob Palmer was soaked with a bucket of cold spaghetti after revealing a $10,000 donation from Pharmacy 777.
Sisters Ellie Murphy, 14, and Gracie Murphy, eight, overcame their nerves to sing an impromptu version of Olivia Rodrigo’s 2026 hit Drop Dead at the karaoke station.
“My favourite bit about Telethon is definitely just the community coming together, it’s great and it’s actually the best weekend of the year,” Ellie said.
Inside the arena, community groups continued 24-hour fundraising efforts, including Boogie Bounce’s bounce-a-thon and a treadmill walk organised by Aviation Rescue Firefighting Services.
Nine-year-old Liya Angeles said her mother was taking part in the bounce-a-thon and said she hoped to join her on the trampoline next year.
“Next year me and my mum might do 24-hours on the trampoline,” she said.
First-time visitor Tanya Greaves attended with her six-year-old granddaughter, Bambi-Rose. The pair watched the event’s preparations from their home in the city and were particularly excited to see former Hawthorn player Shane Crawford on the big screen.
“It’s our first year here and it’s amazing. I cannot believe Telethon and Channel 7 and what they’ve put on, it’s so good, the organisers have done an amazing job,” Ms Greaves said.
Bambi-Rose, whose face was painted with a flower design, said her favourite parts of the day were the sweet treats and rides.
For other parents, the festival was an opportunity to introduce children to the wider purpose of the Telethon appeal.
Tori Templeman said her family encouraged their children to donate and to appreciate their own health.
“Our children are fortunate enough to be happy and healthy right now, and it’s about what they can do to help other children … it’s about kids getting behind other kids,” she said.
Her 11-year-old son, Jordan Zahradka, said he had enjoyed the rides but believed the most important part of the weekend was raising money for children in hospital.
Shelley Lee, who was attending with her family for the first time, said the children had collected prizes and were enjoying fairy floss before heading into the arena.
“I’m a nurse myself and I’m studying to be a midwife, so it’s very important for my kids to understand how lucky they are and I think it’s nice to expose them to everything,” she said.
