The Darwin Festival is a pinnacle event of our vibrant Territory lifestyle and their 2023 program shows why it's a must-see experience for locals and visitors.
The festival creates an important platform for local artists to perform and craft their work, while also bringing in world-class entertainment.
Running over 18 days from 10-27 August 2023, this year's program is packed with mesmerising performances, art and culture, and an expansion of Festival Park into a new location.
This year also sees the return of crowd favourite Blanc de Blanc Encore in the Spiegeltent, while new gem Maho Magic Bar will be located at the new Festival Lawn site in front of Parliament House.
Darwin Festival is supported by the Territory Labor Government through Northern Territory Major Events Company, and this year will feature more than 850 artists from the NT, Australia and overseas. They will appear in more than 80 events, including 280 performances spread across 28 venues.
Opening night will include a Welcome to Country and the world premiere of Life/Time an acrobatic collaboration between Gravity & Other Myths, Jimblah, and local group Corrugated Iron Youth Arts.
The program will also include family-favourite the City of Darwin Teddy Bear's Picnic and free nightly performances at the Power and Water Bamboo Bandstand.
The ever-popular open air INPEX Sunset Stage will host a lively line-up of music, comedy, and performances, as well as the late-night dance spot Club Awi on Friday and Saturday nights.
Indigenous arts and culture will be on show at the National Indigenous Music Awards on Saturday, 12 August, plus the 17th Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, 2023 Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards celebrating 40 years, Country to Couture and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards.
The festival will wrap up with a closing weekend over two nights at the Darwin Ski Club, where Katie Noonan with a quintet, and The Whitlams Black Stump Band will entertain the crowds as the sun sets into the Arafura Sea.
Darwin Festival tickets will go on sale at 9am on, Friday, 2 June, with Friends of the Festival members able to access tickets earlier, from 9am on Wednesday, 31 May.
