Source : Perth Now news
The countdown is on for Perth to host some of the country’s biggest stars for WA’s famous 26-hour fundraiser, Telethon.
The annual event delivers around-the-clock entertainment between October 17 and 18 with an array of special guests and celebrities leading from the front.
For some, like Australian singer-songwriter and The Voice coach Kate Miller-Heidke, 2026 will be their first chance to wow and be wowed by the experience of Telethon, its crowds and its special place in the heart of West Australians.
“I’m excited because it’s a fantastic cause, something very close to my heart, and I’ve heard that it’s just a beautiful weekend,” the hitmaker said.
“Everybody’s life has been touched by a kid with cancer or a sick kid, and everybody there I think, will be so aware of the difference that this fundraising can make, so it’s like a glamorous spectacle and a night of nights, but it’s really meaningful as well.”
The Caught in the Crowd singer revealed she will perform songs from her new album being released mid-August.
“There’ll be some premiere performances plus the crowd pleasers, and I’m open to requests, so hit me up on Facebook or Instagram,” she said.
Others, like Phil Burton of Human Nature fame and perennial crowd favourite Emma Memma, are almost ‘lifers’ who look forward to the fun and excitement every year.
”Telethon is a beautiful celebration of community, connection and kindness. It brings people together from all walks of life with a shared goal of supporting children and families, and that is something very close to my heart,” Emma Memma, or Emma Watkins as she is known off stage, said.
“The generosity of Western Australians is always inspiring, and it is a privilege to be part of an event that creates such a meaningful and lasting impact. I am thrilled to be returning for another Telethon Weekend.”
It’s part of a busy month on the west coast for the children’s entertainer, who is performing her show Jungle Picnic from October 1-3, before taking to the Telethon stage across what will be her fourth Telethon Weekend.
A host of football idols are among celebrities who will jet in, including Brownlow Medallist Shane Crawford, Kane Cornes, Campbell Brown and Luke Hodge, alongside Channel 7 Perth’s Ben Cousins.
More Channel 7 familiar faces from Home and Away, Better Homes and Gardens, Sunrise, The Morning Show and The Chase are also set to trek west for the weekend, joining the 7NEWS Perth team, local sporting heroes and the face of Telethon, Fat Cat.
Among Telethon’s 147 charity beneficiaries to benefit from 2025’s record-breaking $90.1 million raised in 2025 is The Sony Foundation which supports people like five-year-old Ava O’Kelly and her family.
Since being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just three years old, the foundation’s You Can Stay program has allowed her family the “invaluable” chance to stay minutes from Perth Children’s Hospital, instead of driving two hours from Port Kennedy.
In eight days, Ava will ring the hospital’s bell to signify that she is officially cancer free.
“We can see some light at the end of the tunnel,” her mum Lucy O’Kelly said.
