More than 700 artists performing in 180 events will converge on WA's capital city next year for the 65th Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF).

The festival, which runs from February 10 to March 5, will include 11 Australian exclusives, five world premieres and an array of artistic experiences.

The event is taking advantage of summer outdoor settings, including Elizabeth Quay and Kings Park.

The $17 million program embraces the themes of migration, reconciliation, accessibility and empathy and will be the second under the artistic direction of Wendy Martin.

"PIAF in 2017 is the most wonderful adventure around the world," Ms Martin said.

"We will take a head-trip deep into the Amazon, experience Vietnamese village life through astonishing circus feats and enter the ritual world of South African song and dance.

"We start with a celebration over the opening weekend in Kings Park with Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak, an amazing outdoor spectacular exploring the incredible biodiversity of the South West of Western Australia."

Festival opening Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak is a celebration of landscape, culture and community. ( Supplied: Toni Wilkinson )

Boorna Waanginy director Nigel Jamieson will collaborate with Noongar elders, artists, botanists and scientists to transform Kings Park into a cathedral of light, sound and imagery over three nights.

"This unique experience of wonder and interconnectedness will be the start of a festival journey that will see big-picture stories played out through personal perspectives," Ms Martin said.

Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam will make their Australian debut with A O Lang Pho, a production of contemporary circus accompanied by live music and a cast of 15 acrobats and five musicians that celebrates the culture of Vietnam.

"The new circus from Vietnam turns circus tradition on its head. All their apparatus that they perform with is made of bamboo and everyday utilitarian objects from their life and it's an extraordinary entertainment for all the family," Ms Martin said.

Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam make their Australian debut at PIAF with A O Lang Pho. ( Supplied: PIAF )

PIAF artist in residence Amy Sharrocks is building the WA-edition of the award-winning Museum of Water over the next two years.

Ms Sharrocks is inviting guests to Leighton Beach and other iconic locations to contribute their own water from creek water to tears to dirty suds.

With every drop telling a story, members of the public will be encouraged to donate a vessel of water and the story that comes with it to create a different kind of museum for the driest state in Australia.

The festival's dance program will includes two of Canada's most adventurous artists, choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright and performer Jonathon Young.

Their production Betroffenheit places audiences in the wake of a disaster, accompanied by a crisis-management team.

PIAF Artist in Residence Amy Sharrocks is curating the Museum of Water. ( Supplied: PIAF )

It has been described by festival organisers as "raw human emotion" and "bodies talking with heart-wrenching eloquence in a thrillingly imaginative Australian premiere".

In addition, over four days, the 2017 Perth Writers Festival will bring international and Australian writers, artists and activists to Perth.

Writers include Canadian Booker Prize-nominated novelist Madeleine Thien (Do We Say We Have Nothing; Dogs at the Perimeter), Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Jane Smiley (The Golden Age), Nigerian-American writer Chinelo Okparanta (Under the Udala Trees), and Chilean writer Alejandro Zambra (My Documents; Ways of Going Home).

Words are expected to fly off the page and onto the stage in the new festival event Courtyard Sessions, with two nights of slam poetry, music, hip hop and comedy.

The Lotterywest Festival Films will launch on November 28 with the first of a two-part season of the world's best new films, all making their West Australian premieres.