Darwin Festival kicks off in one week and there’s a huge program of events planned to take over the city from 5-22 August. One of the highlights of the Festival each year is its featuring of artists from the NT, and 2021 is no exception with a huge line-up of music, theatre, dance, cabaret and visual arts events starring our very own Territory talent.
We’re the official box office for the festival this year, and we thought we’d give you some hot show tips before you swing by the Travel & Information Centre to buy your tickets!
Music to Move You – and Get You Moving
Start your musical journey in the red centre with a supergroup of Alice Springs performers in Red Desert, Endless Sky: Songs from the Centre. This very special collaboration will have you feeling the dust beneath your feet and basking in the glow of the red desert moon.
Next you can experience bands, traditional song and dance, storytelling and live projections from East Arnhem Land in the showcase Wanha! Journey to Arnhem. You may be aware of the rich musical history of this special place, but this gig introduces music lovers to the stars of its vibrant contemporary scene.
Arafura Music Collective are bringing a new version of their hit event from 2020, Distanced Duets. Enjoy the intimate drama of chamber music in the gracious surrounds of the heritage Audit House. And Darwin Entertainment Centre hosts two collaborations that bring together classical Western tradition and Indigenous song - Darwin Symphony Orchestra with members of Ripple Effect Band (Wavelengths) and Netanela Mizrahi & Guwanbal Gurruwiwi’s The Djari Project.
The Festival hub, located in a transformed Civic Park, is a great place to hear free music from a wide range of local artists, Tuesday to Sunday at 6.30pm and 8pm. Meet up with some friends and enjoy delicious food and refreshing beverages while musicians from around the town and across the Territory serenade you.
A Trip to the Theatre and Diving into Dance
If you’re looking for a great night out at the theatre, the Festival has two shows with a local cast. Adults take a back seat when a powerful panel of nine to 13-year-olds from Darwin’s own Corrugated Iron Youth Arts take over the stage and ask adults the questions they always wanted to know in I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You. Darwin actor Sarah Reuben and her best friend Jeffrey Jay Fowler are deciding whether to have a baby together in their new theatre show The Hypotheticals. This cheeky exploration of evolution, the human race, fantasy and fear is on at Happy Yess on the same site as the historic Brown’s Mart Theatre.
If dance is more your thing, then two of the Territory’s best-known companies are a must see. Tracks Dance Company responds to our natural tropical environment in the luscious setting of George Brown Darwin Botanical Gardens with their latest show Seasons of Skin and bark. And GUTS Dance // Central Australia brings Value for Money, their provocative new physical work exploring the value of human life to Brown’s Mart Theatre. For free dancing fun, you’ll definitely want to queue up for the best dance party of your life in Festival Park. A guest line-up of young locals invites the whole family inside a rave-ready shipping container for the free event 10 Minute Dance Parties.
Comedy, Cabaret and Clubbing
There’s plenty to laugh about when Darwin comedy legend Amy Hetherington invites you to her Baby Shower, a show for new parents, would-be parents or never-would-I-ever parents. Australia’s premier Indigenous showgirl Constantina Bush gets funky with Darwin’s hottest soul band, Eduardo and The Night Train. Join them at Festival Park for an unforgettable cabaret ride. On the Festival's final weekend Darwin’s favourite drag kings, queens and cabaret performers invite cabaret lovers to party with all the glitz and glamour that only a Drag Divas show can bring. For late-night Festival fun, Club Awi is the place to be every Friday and Saturday night for your chance to cut loose under the stars to DJs from around the country and across the Top End.
Tourism Top End Travel & Information Centre
6 Bennett Street, Darwin 0800
1300 138 886
Red Desert, Endless Sky: Songs from the Centre | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | Sun 8 Aug 9pm | $34-$38
Wanha! Journey to Arnhem | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | Sat 14 Aug 9pm | $34-$38
Distanced Duets 2.0 | Tue 10-Thu 12 Aug & Tue 17-Thu 19 Aug 6pm | Audit House | $26-$30
Darwin Symphony Orchestra – Wavelengths | Sat 21 Aug 7.30pm | Darwin Entertainment Centre | $20-$60
The Djari Project | Sun 15 Aug 5pm | Darwin Entertainment Centre | $38-$42
I've Been Meaning to Ask You | Fri 6 Aug 7pm, Sat 7 Aug 2pm & 7pm and Sun 8 Aug 4pm | Darwin Entertainment Centre | $20-$42
The Hypotheticals | Tue 10-Fri 13 Aug 5.45pm and Sat 14 & Sun 15 Aug 1pm & 5.45pm | Happy Yess | $28-$32
Tracks Dance Company | Sun 8 & Mon 9 Aug 7pm, Wed 11 & Thu 12 Aug 7pm and Sat 14-Mon 16 Aug 7pm | George Brown Darwin Botanical Gardens | $26-$36
Value for Money | Tue 17 & Thu 19 Aug 6pm and Wed 18 Aug 11am & 6pm | Brown’s Mart Theatre | $32-$36
10 Minute Dance Parties | Thu 12 Aug 6pm-8pm and Fri 13 – Sun 15 Aug 5pm-8pm (sessions every 15mins) | Festival Park | FREE
Amy Hetherington | Tue 17 Aug 7pm | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | $34-$38
Constantina Bush | Tue 17 Aug 9pm | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | $34-$38
Drag Divas | Sat 21 Aug 9pm | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | $34-$38
Club Awi | Fri 6-Sat 21 Aug Fri & Sat 10pm-late | INPEX Sunset Stage, Festival Park | $10