15 Jul 2019
Tags: Northern Territory, Whats On, Events, Tourism NT
From the launch of Bruce Munro's hotly anticipated Tropical Light exhibition and the rich Aboriginal traditions at Mahbilil Festival in Kakadu, to the Rotary Henley-on-Todd Regatta and the unforgettable DRAG-vaganza of FABalice, the Northern Territory is teeming with events that your readers are dying to know about.
GARMA FESTIVAL
Arnhem Land, 2 – 5 August 2019
Garma Festival is the largest and most vibrant annual celebration of Yolngu culture where travellers will gather to learn about the Aboriginal people of north-east Arnhem Land.
DESERT HARMONY FESTIVAL
Tennant Creek, 3 – 4 August 2019
Desert Harmony Festival is arguably Australia's most remote festival. Located in Tennant Creek, the festival will immerse visitors in outback, desert culture – including Aboriginal art, workshops, adventure tours, sports and cultural activities.
GREAT NORTHERN DARWIN CUP CARNIVAL
Darwin, 6 July – 5 August (Darwin Cup Day – 5 August)
One of the biggest events on the Darwin social calendar. The Great Northern Darwin Cup Carnival features eight days of top-quality racing, fashion and events, and the largest outdoor ball in the Southern Hemisphere. The Great Northern Darwin Cup Carnival is set to excite racing enthusiasts and social butterflies alike.
DARWIN FESTIVAL
Darwin, 8 – 25 August 2019
Opening with legendary music group Yothu Yindi, Darwin Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the hottest music, theatre, visual art and dance acts over 18 sultry tropical nights in the Top End.
DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR (DAAF)
Darwin, 9 – 11 August 2019
Believed to be the biggest event of its kind in Australia, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair gives visitors a chance to ethically purchase Aboriginal art direct from more than 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned and incorporated art centres, with more than 2,000 emerging and established artists represented.
TELSTRA NATIONAL ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER
ART AWARDS (NATSIAA)
Darwin, 10 August – 3 November (Awards and Opening Ceremony – 9 August)
The 36th Telstra NATSIAA showcases the very best Australian Indigenous art from around the country.
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS (NIMA)
Darwin, 10 August 2019
Showcasing the rich Indigenous musical talent from all corners of the country. The NIMAs are recognised as one of Australia's most prominent Indigenous music awards. Held annually under the stars at Darwin's historic Amphitheatre, audiences will be treated to performances by the likes of Jessica Mauboy and
Dan Sultan.
RUN LARAPINTA STAGE RACE
Alice Springs, 16 – 19 August 2019
Set on the world-famous Larapinta Trail, some 223 km long, is the annual Run Larapinta race held over four days through the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges. Featuring some of the country's most breathtaking landscapes in this iconic race, Run Larapinta should be on every runner's bucket list.
ROTARY HENLEY-ON-TODD REGATTA
Alice Springs, 17 August 2019
The Rotary Henley-on-Todd Regatta is one of Australia's quirkiest events – a boat race in Alice Springs without a drop of water in sight! Positioned as the world's only land-based boat race, this iconic event attracts everything from homemade dinghies to pirate ships, with competitors racing along the bone-dry Todd River.
THE REDBACK MTB
Alice Springs, 22 – 25 August 2019
Starting in Alice Springs, the annual four-day Redback MTB mountain bike race features six-stages of incredible mountain biking through Australia's Red Centre. This year the race will also include a brand-new cross-country race. The Redback MTB is a must-do for any mountain biker.
FREEDOM DAY FESTIVAL
Katherine region, 23 – 25 August 2019
One of the most unique and remote festival experiences Australia has to offer, Freedom Day Festival celebrates the Gurindji elders who sparked the Aboriginal Land Rights movement with a memorable weekend of arts, culture, music and sports.
ALICE DESERT FESTIVAL
Alice Springs, 30 August – 13 October 2019
With a vibrant six-week program that combines musical performances, colourful comedy and breathtaking film, Alice Desert Festival celebrates the stories and unique way of life of the Red Centre.
RED CENTRENATS
Alice Springs, 30 August – 1 September 2019
Hailed as one of Australia's most-loved automotive festivals, car enthusiasts from around the country travel to Alice Springs for a revved-up program that includes on and off-track competitions, drag racing, elite show cars and hobby vehicles.
RED CENTRE BIRD FESTIVAL
Alice Springs, 4 – 8 September 2019
Red Centre Bird Festival is one of Australia's leading nature festivals featuring a suite of birdlife not common to any other part of the country. Iconic species set to delight birdwatchers include spinifex pigeons, dusky grasswrens, rufous-crowned emu-wrens, and bourke's and mulga parrots.
DESERT MOB
Alice Springs, 5 – 7 September 2019
The annual Desert Mob exhibition at Araluen Arts Centre is one of the most anticipated and important Aboriginal art events in the country. Bringing together artworks and artists from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, Desert Mob remains the most immediate interface between Aboriginal art making in remote desert communities and the wider world.
MAYALI MULIL FESTIVAL
Kakadu, 6 – 8 September 2019
A three-day, culturally infused event, Mayali Mulil connects and celebrates the diversity of Aboriginal cultures whilst supporting and promoting local and regional Aboriginal enterprises. With concerts, cultural activities and workshops, food and drink stalls, this is classic Kakadu at its finest.
DESERT SONG FESTIVAL
Alice Springs, 6 – 15 September 2019
Showcasing the rich musical traditions from Africa, India, the Americas and Central Australia, Desert Song Festival is a celebration of cultural diversity and artistic brilliance. Over a 10-day program, visitors will experience concerts, workshops and masterclasses, with choirs, musicians, small vocal ensembles and solo artists all converging on the ancient grounds of Alice Springs.
JABIRU MAHBILIL FESTIVAL
Kakadu, 7 – 8 September 2019
Mahbilil Festival (named after the cooling afternoon breeze) is an annual explosion of music, dance, bushfoods, art and workshops, celebrating Kakadu culture in the township of Jabiru.
DARWIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Darwin, 12 – 22 September 2019
The 10-day Darwin International Film Festival showcases the best of local, national and international film, including Aboriginal stories and film makers. Film buffs are invited to enjoy a movie under the stars at the Deckchair Cinema, or one of the many workshops and exhibitions.
KATHERINE BIRD FESTIVAL
Katherine, 12 – 15 September 2019
Following its highly successful inaugural year, the Katherine Bird Festival will return in 2019 and promises even more for wildlife lovers to enjoy. Set in the heart of Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, this year's program will immerse visitors in natural landscapes teeming with unique birdlife, with added bird-watching cruises and expert-led tours.
KAKADU BIRD WEEK
Kakadu, 28 September – 5 October 2019
With more than a third of Australia's bird species calling Kakadu home, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park is a bird lover's paradise. Kakadu Bird Week offers nature enthusiasts community birdwatching walks, tours and presentations with researchers and the local Aboriginal people.
TROPICAL LIGHT BY BRUCE MUNRO
Darwin, 1 November 2019 – 30 April 2020
Internationally renowned artist Bruce Munro will open his largest-ever city exhibition, Tropical Light, in the Northern Territory's Top End in November. Arriving in time for Darwin's tropical summer season, the eight immersive illuminated sculptures will light a 2.5 km trail through Darwin's CBD, illuminating the city and Waterfront precincts.
OPERA AUSTRALIA AT ULURU
Uluru, 2 November 2019
For the first time ever, Opera Australia will perform an exclusive concert in the spiritual heart of Australia, with the vast outback plains and Bruce Munro's Field of Light as the backdrop. The special gala performance, held under the stars, promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience as some of the world's most renowned opera singers perform in a uniquely Australian setting.
HOTTEST 7'S IN THE WORLD
Darwin, 16 – 17 November 2019
The Hottest 7's In the World promises to bring a competition filled with world-class rugby 7s action to the Top End as Darwin plays host to some of the world's most high-profile rugby teams from Australia and across the globe.
TERRITORY TRIBUTE
Darwin, 19 February – 25 April 2020
The Northern Territory has experienced some of the most significant and poignant moments in Australia's history, including the Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 – the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australian soil.
Territory Tribute's world-class event program runs from 19 February until ANZAC Day, and will commemorate and acknowledge the Territory's military history, as well as the Northern Territory's continuing strategic role in Australia's defence.
FABalice Festival
Alice Springs, 6 – 8 March 2020
Inspired by the original cult movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, FABalice returns for a second year in March. The three-day event, officially extending the Mardi Gras celebrations to the centre of Australia, is filled with comedy, cabaret and social activities paying homage to the film and stage musical.
