Just an hour south of Perth, Mandurah becomes an enormous open-air studio for 200 artists this weekend

For one week every September, the waterways, coastal stretches and heritage streetscapes of Mandurah and the wider Peel Region become one enormous open-air studio. Plein Air Down Under — Australia’s largest and longest-running outdoor painting festival — is back for its eighth edition this year. Running from 22 to 29 September 2026, it expects more than 200 artists to pick up their brushes and compete for over $13,000 in awards and prizes.

The festival centres on painting en plein air — French for “in the open air” — a tradition with roots in 19th-century European landscape painting that has found a natural home in the sun-drenched scenery an hour south of Perth. Artists from across Australia and internationally will fan out across the region to capture it on canvas, in oil, watercolour and pastel.

The busiest stretch for spectators is the Festival Weekend, 26–28 September, when three Feature Artists take centre stage with free live painting demonstrations. This year’s headliners are Greg Barnes (USA), Leon Holmes (Mandurah) and Andy Dolphin (Mt Barker), each leading a masterclass. Additionally, guest Artists Leanne Pearson, Georgia Mansur and Linda MacAulay are running one-day workshops.

The weekend wraps up with a crowd favourite: the Quick Draw Two-Hour Painting Competition on Monday 28 September. Here, artists of all ages race to finish a complete painting in 120 minutes, followed by live judging, awards and fast-paced easel sales on the spot.

Watching is free. If you want to join in, artist registrations are open at all skill levels — $10 for under-18s and $120 for adults — and the program also includes have-a-go sessions and free children’s activities throughout the week.