Last updated: 10 August 2026
The Mandurah Christmas Lights Trail runs Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, per Visit Mandurah, with more than 30 free light installations around the Mandurah City Centre, Eastern Foreshore and Ocean Marina. For Perth visitors, one planning fact matters: the lights are an evening show, about an hour south of the city. That leaves a whole Perth daytime to fill. The plan that works: book the 2:00 pm Perth's Premier Pathways walking tour through the city's laneways and street art, finish at 4:30 pm, then drive or catch the direct train south and arrive in Mandurah in time for dinner before the trail lights up. Kids sorted, no dead hours, one full day done properly.
How the lights trip works from Perth
Mandurah sits about 70 km south of Perth. Driving takes about an hour, and the Mandurah train line runs direct from the city, so a car is optional. The trail itself is free: more than 30 installations spread across three walkable precincts, with nightly lights cruises running across the season. Dates come from Visit Mandurah, the city's official destination site, and the council will confirm the full program closer to the season, so check before locking in a specific night.
Because nothing switches on until dark, the trip splits neatly in two: daytime in Perth or Fremantle, evening in Mandurah. Here is the version we would run with visiting family.
The hour-by-hour plan
Perth afternoon, Mandurah evening
- 2:00 pm: Perth's Premier Pathways departs Perth Town Hall. A relaxed 2.5 hours through London Court, the State Buildings and Wolf Lane, beverage included. $69 adult, $45 child.
- 4:30 pm: The walk finishes at Yagan Square. Collect the car, or head for a Mandurah line train.
- 5:00 pm: Travel south. About an hour by car or direct train.
- 6:15 pm: Arrive Mandurah. Eat near the Eastern Foreshore before the evening crowd builds.
- From dusk: Walk the free trail, more than 30 installations across the City Centre, Eastern Foreshore and Ocean Marina.
- Optional: A nightly lights cruise, if you want the installations from the water.
The Fremantle-first version
- 10:00 am: Fremantle: Convicts, Culture & Street Art departs. Two hours of port history and street art, morning beverage included. $65 adult, $45 child.
- 12:00 pm: Done. Lunch in Fremantle, an easy afternoon.
- Late afternoon: Head south, dinner in Mandurah, lights from dusk.
December afternoons book out first, so check live availability and lock in the daytime half before you plan the Mandurah leg.
The tours that fit around the lights
Perth's Premier Pathways: Laneways, Art, History & Culture
The 2.5-hour city walk from Perth Town Hall to Yagan Square, through the arcades, laneways and street art most visitors walk straight past: London Court, the State Buildings, Wolf Lane. $69 adult, $45 child, drink included, and the pace is relaxed enough for grandparents and school-age kids.
Ideal timing: the afternoon of your lights run. The typical 2:00 pm departure finishes about 4:30 pm, which leaves the hour south plus a dinner stop before dark.
Fremantle: Convicts, Culture & Street Art
A two-hour morning walk through Fremantle's convict-built streets, with recent departures at 10:00 am and a morning beverage included. $65 adult, $45 child. Details on the Fremantle Convicts, Culture & Street Art page.
Ideal timing: the morning of the lights day. You finish by midday with the whole afternoon in hand, so there is no rush on the run south.
Eat Drink Walk Perth: the grown-ups night
Three hours through three of Perth's small bars, about 40 minutes in each, with two drinks and grazing food included. Departs Perth Town Hall at 6:30 pm and wraps up about 9:30 pm. $89 adult. Details on the Eat Drink Walk Perth bar tour page.
Ideal timing: not the lights night. It runs in the same after-dark window as the trail, so give it its own evening: lights with the kids one night, the bar tour another. If true crime beats small bars, Crimes of Perth and Crimes of Fremantle are two-hour walks at $60 on selected Saturday afternoons, 4 to 6pm, so they finish before a lights night starts.
Groups, access and the Companion Card
Every walk also runs privately, for groups up to 100 by arrangement, and our Scavenger Hunt is private-only at $35 per person. For a family reunion or a work group doing Perth by day and the lights by night, private bookings go through the contact page.
Two Feet is a registered WA Companion Card affiliate. The card covers the companion's place on the tour; it does not automatically cover food, drink or tastings, which the companion pays for if they join in. Companion Card bookings are made by contacting us directly. The Companion Card guide has the detail, and route notes live on our accessibility page.
Lock in the daytime half
The trail is free and needs no ticket. The tours are the part with capacity, and late December fills with locals hosting summer visitors. Browse all Perth and Fremantle walking tours and pin down the daytime half of your lights day; the drive south takes care of itself.
FAQs
How do you get to the Mandurah Christmas Lights Trail from Perth?
Mandurah is about 70 km south of Perth: roughly an hour by car, or a direct train on the Mandurah line. The trail precincts around the City Centre, Eastern Foreshore and Ocean Marina are walkable once you arrive.
Is the Mandurah Christmas Lights Trail free?
Yes. The trail of more than 30 installations is free, per Visit Mandurah, with nightly lights cruises also running across the season. The council confirms the full program closer to the season.
Can you do a Perth walking tour and the Mandurah lights on the same day?
Yes. Perth's Premier Pathways finishes about 4:30 pm, leaving time for the hour south and dinner before the lights come on at dusk. The 10:00 am Fremantle Convicts walk works too, with the whole afternoon spare.
What are the Mandurah Christmas lights dates for 2026?
Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, per Visit Mandurah. That window covers Christmas week and New Year, so summer visitors doing both Perth and Mandurah have just over five weeks to fit it in.
