Albany 2026: Everything to know about Carrying the Fire, the grand finale of the city’s bicentenary calendar

The City of Albany is getting ready to stage its final large-scale bicentenary event this Saturday, with thousands expected to take to the iconic coastline along Middleton Beach to be part of Carrying the Fire.

Carrying the Fire, a joint project between the City of Albany, Southern Edge Arts and FORM, is the final large-scale event on the Albany 2026 calendar, and is set to be a spectacular celebration of Albany’s community and coastline.

Members of the community will bring handmade lanterns and torchlights to the water’s edge to join a spectacular performance along Middleton Beach, creating a river of light between Emu Point and the Ellen Cove boardwalk.

Festivities will kick off at Ellen Cove and Emu Point at 4pm, with food trucks and DJs on deck at both ends of the beach for punters to make the most of their evening before the performance starts after sunset.

The performance element will begin at 7pm and run for 45 minutes, beginning with the lantern walk and accompanying soundscape, which will be played throughout the performance up and down the beach, and culminating in a grand finale at Ellen Cove with professional dancers and fire performers.

The event will be divided into five zones, and when participants register to be part of the performance, they will be allocated a zone so that lantern-bearers are spread evenly over the area.

Zone A comprises Ellen Cove and the Ellen Cove boardwalk, B stretches from the Albany Surf Life Saving Club to Surfers Beach, C is north of Surfers Beach, D is in front of the Albany Golf Club greens, and E is south from Emu Point until the golf club.

Designer Andy O’Neil has also programmed an app specially for the performance, which syncs participants’ phone torches to a choreographed light pattern so every torch on the journey will be in sequence, creating a continuous spectacle all the way along.

Participants and members of the public are encouraged to stick around after the performance to enjoy the after-party, with DJs at Ellen Cove and Emu Point keeping the vibes high until 9pm.

Shuttle buses will operate between 4pm and 9.30pm, leaving from Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre and stopping at Emu Point and the Albany Golf Course for participants in zones C, D and E, with the last bus back to town leaving Emu Point at 9.30pm.

Buses will not stop at zones A or B, but there will be overflow parking available at Eyre Park, and at the southern end of the Albany golf course near Wollaston Road.

Registrations are still open for participants, and everyone is encouraged to get involved in what is set to be one of the crowning jewels of the Albany 2026 calendar of events.