The River Guardians team at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is excited to invite the community to the 2026 River Guardians Family Festival on Saturday 2 May from 9am-12pm at Sir James Mitchell Park, South Perth.

Now in its third year, the River Guardians Festival is a free, family-friendly sustainability event celebrating community, culture and action for the Derbal Yirragan Djarlgarro (Swan Canning river system).

The festival brings together families, wildlife and conservation groups, not-for-profits, volunteers, Traditional Owners, community groups and river managers to share knowledge, enjoy hands-on activities and learn ways to protect the river system. 

Festival highlights include:

• A Welcome to Country by Indigenous Elder Vaughn Joshua McGuire.
• A main-stage program featuring interviews, a facilitated panel discussion and RiverWise gardening presentation by Josh Byrne and Sabrina Hahn
• Hands-on children’s activities delivered by Nature Play WA in a special kid’s activation area.
• Opportunities to meet wildlife experts, conservation groups and river managers.    

River Guardians Program Manager Jason Menzies said the festival highlights the collective role the community plays in river protection. 

“River Guardians is about empowering people to look after the places they love,” he said. 

“The festival creates a welcoming space for families to connect with the river, learn from experts and discover simple actions that make a real difference for river health and wildlife conservation.” 

The River Guardians program launched in 2008 and now has more than 2700 members across Perth, actively supporting river protection through volunteering, education and community-led action. 

Key River Guardians projects include: 

• Dolphin Watch, with more than 1,500 trained volunteers supporting university research;
• Reel it In, with 76 fishing line bins installed across the Riverpark and maintained by 67 volunteers;
• School education programs for children and young people; and
• RiverWise gardening workshops in priority sub-catchments.

For more information about the festival, visit River Guardians family festival and follow River Guardians on Facebook.