diff --git a/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c b/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
index 0a01bac4ce023e136ef15357e80360a90f35d40e..22ebc46226e7ffe05793fadea8527584c616cb01 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <linux/bitmap.h>
 
 #include "../util.h"
 #include <EXTERN.h>
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ INTERP my_perl;
 #define FTRACE_MAX_EVENT				\
 	((1 << (sizeof(unsigned short) * 8)) - 1)
 
-struct event_format *events[FTRACE_MAX_EVENT];
+static DECLARE_BITMAP(events_defined, FTRACE_MAX_EVENT);
 
 extern struct scripting_context *scripting_context;
 
@@ -238,35 +239,15 @@ static void define_event_symbols(struct event_format *event,
 		define_event_symbols(event, ev_name, args->next);
 }
 
-static inline struct event_format *find_cache_event(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
-{
-	static char ev_name[256];
-	struct event_format *event;
-	int type = evsel->attr.config;
-
-	if (events[type])
-		return events[type];
-
-	events[type] = event = evsel->tp_format;
-	if (!event)
-		return NULL;
-
-	sprintf(ev_name, "%s::%s", event->system, event->name);
-
-	define_event_symbols(event, ev_name, event->print_fmt.args);
-
-	return event;
-}
-
 static void perl_process_tracepoint(struct perf_sample *sample,
 				    struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 				    struct thread *thread)
 {
+	struct event_format *event = evsel->tp_format;
 	struct format_field *field;
 	static char handler[256];
 	unsigned long long val;
 	unsigned long s, ns;
-	struct event_format *event;
 	int pid;
 	int cpu = sample->cpu;
 	void *data = sample->raw_data;
@@ -278,7 +259,6 @@ static void perl_process_tracepoint(struct perf_sample *sample,
 	if (evsel->attr.type != PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT)
 		return;
 
-	event = find_cache_event(evsel);
 	if (!event)
 		die("ug! no event found for type %" PRIu64, (u64)evsel->attr.config);
 
@@ -286,6 +266,9 @@ static void perl_process_tracepoint(struct perf_sample *sample,
 
 	sprintf(handler, "%s::%s", event->system, event->name);
 
+	if (!test_and_set_bit(event->id, events_defined))
+		define_event_symbols(event, handler, event->print_fmt.args);
+
 	s = nsecs / NSECS_PER_SEC;
 	ns = nsecs - s * NSECS_PER_SEC;