High-voltage Highway to Hell finale closes epic Perth Festival season

The finale of the 2020 Perth Festival will be held tomorrow (Sunday, March 1), on the 40th anniversary since original AC/DC front man Bon Scott was laid to rest at Fremantle Cemetery, and event goers are invited to rock out to the once-in-a-generation event.

The Highway to Hell event is a tribute to the music of legendary Australian band AC/DC and involves bands performing on flatbed trucks moving along the highway from the Raffles Hotel to the Old Fremantle Traffic Bridge.

Dubbed 'the world's longest stage', Canning Highway will be transformed into a long picnic ground for thousands of people invited to walk the 10km route with the trucks, which are transformed into mobile stages and decked out as Aussie icons - including a giant sausage roll.

From 4pm there will be plenty of opportunities for fans and families to enjoy the free entertainment including 130 nearby art, music and entertainment activities.

Premier Mark McGowan will formally kick off Highway to Hell by ringing the 'Hell's Bell' at 5pm at the start line, sending the trucks on their journey from Applecross to Fremantle.

The 300-kilogram starter bell, supplied by John Taylor & Co, the same company that made the original AC/DC Hell's Bell.

Event goers are invited set up a picnic anywhere along the highway or gather at one of four special activity and entertainment areas at:

• The Canning Bridge Zone - Canning Bridge to Riseley Street, Applecross;
• The Tompkins Park Zone - Tompkins Park, Alfred Cove (with a good range of facilities and activities for children of all ages);
• The Valley Zone - Stock Road to Petra Street, Palmyra; and
• The Rainbow Zone - May Street, East Fremantle, to the rainbow sculpture between the bridges in Fremantle. 

From Aussie rock to Finnish folk, saltwater sounds to soulful strains, artists as diverse as Pigram Brothers, Amyl and the Sniffers, Japan's Shonen Knife and WA's Abbe May with The Southern River Band will give Bon Scott the epic tribute he deserves.

Perth Festival is the longest-running annual international multi-arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, has been supported by the State Government through principal partner Lotterywest and other agencies since 1992.

The State Government, through Lotterywest, has been supporting the Perth Festival for more than 25 years and has provided $7.7 million for Perth Festival this year.

As a result of Lotterywest's 2018-19 record sales result, a $700,000 boost was made available for Highway to Hell to ensure the event is free for the whole community to enjoy.

Tourism WA also struck a new four-year deal to support Perth Festival's annual headline event until 2023. As part of the new funding agreement, Tourism WA is a sponsor of the 2020 Perth Festival closing event, Highway to Hell.

Premier's office - 6552 5000

Culture and the Arts Minister's office - 6552 5400

Tourism Minister's office - 6552 5600