Perth event breaks public transport record

The biggest arts event in Perth's history also set records in public transport, with buses and trains straining under the weight of 1.73 million patrons.

The three-day performance of The Giants by French street theatre company Royal de Luxe was the centrepiece of the Perth International Arts Festival, attracting 1.4 million people into the CBD.

The Giants, the largest puppet show in the world, recreated the story of a young six-metre tall girl and an 11-metre high deep sea diver telling the story of troops being farewelled from Breaksea Island, in WA's Great Southern region, to Gallipoli.

Transperth spokesman David Hynes said Saturday was "far and away the biggest day we have ever experienced", with buses carrying 133,600 people and trains a record 559,000.

The ferry set records each day, carrying more over three days than would normally be carried in a month.