A two-week celebration of cabaret and seduction will take over the city from Friday night as Perth International Burlesque Festival (PIBF) launches its 13th annual season.

Running October 9 to 24, audiences can experience “the art of the tease” across several venues and events in the inner city, plus a couple of detours into Margaret River and Geraldton.

Joining local acts will be a host of acclaimed global names, including Sin City headliner Raquel Reed, and reigning Miss Viva Las Vegas 2025, Kelly Ann Doll.

After wearing multiple hats at the festival for years, Perth-based performer Jessica Anne Gough, also known as The Sugar Duchess, took over ownership in 2018 with an intent to progress the art form and its inclusivity.

“Burlesque in itself is a political movement, it’s about body identity and acceptance in all ways and shapes and forms,” she told PerthNow.

“But yes, it is also the art of the tease, the art of titillation, all of that sort of jazz as well. I love to think that whilst corsets and fishnets are part of the range, what PIBF does differently from some other shows is that we make a lot of effort to curate a very diverse and inclusive lineup.”

Burning the candle at both ends, Ms Gough balances her Burlesque commitments with work at Chevron, Noongar Radio, and as a Curtin University associate.

Proud First Nations and trans performer Kitty Obsidian will also bring her award-winning brand of activism and entertainment to the stage, leading the charge on “radical self love”.

Despite the top-tier talent flying in, the event director said Perth is already batting way above its global average for pathways to the stage, with advanced training available at Sugar Blue Burlesque, Lady Velvet Cabaret, and Sky High Burlesque, to name a few.

“There are more burlesque schools in Perth, WA than there are in New York. It’s got such a huge following here in the community,” she declared.

Nat Oakes feels fortunate to have made burlesque her entire world, and is thankful she doesn’t require a “muggle” job to fund her magical stage persona.

Along with managing an agency that hires burlesque dancers, Ms Oakes runs a production company that tours cabaret circus shows around Australia, is a dancer herself, and has even added costume designer to her resume.

“I made this (outfit) for a Burlesque competition I competed in two years ago,” she said.

“It’s got multiple layers that I reveal as we go on throughout the number. I’m doing this number for the festival, and I’ve got four backup dancers who help me get out of the clothes as we go along.”

Performer Chloe King, a.k.a. The Forbidden Nüwa, was introduced to the art form in Australia in 2019.

Originally from China, she stumbled across a pole dancing fitness class in Brisbane and instantly fell in love.

“I was like, ‘Oh, those ladies are doing something really fun’, without knowing what burlesque is, because that word is not my culture,” she said.

“In China, we don’t have the word ‘burlesque’, and it’s also illegal, it’s banned.”

Ms King quickly took her burgeoning interest to the stage, and has since garnered recognition for combining Chinese classical dance with a strip tease — using her culture and traditions to tell stories to a local audience.

She is also one of the festival’s cultural curators.

For those interested in attending the festival but feel slightly intimidated, or simply don’t know where to start, Ms Gough suggested doing a little research.

“I feel like no burlesque show is like another, and they also have different flavours,” she said.

“Peep Show is very community-based, but I call the Club Burlesque gala our gateway into the rest of the PIVF world.

“If you want up-late-and-anything-goes, that is Glitter Crash because Connections (Nightclub) has different licensing, so we can do different things.

“So find one that is your ilk.”

Perth International Burlesque Festival 2026 runs October 9 to 24.