AusLeisure

The Darwin Festival held from 4th–21st August will be delivering a mix of visual arts and exciting performances including live music gigs, compelling theatre, tantalising cabaret and more.

Darwin Festival Artistic Director Felix Preval advised “we’re just days away from delivering the 2022 Festival and we couldn’t be more excited. This year’s program is jam-packed with over 150 performances and 80 events spread across 20 venues and featuring 600 artists.

“This year’s Festival celebrates the very best of life in the Top End, inviting communities to connect through arts and culture, making the most of the balmy Dry Season evenings, eating and dancing under the stars. We have an incredible program of First Nations works, including two world premiere productions led by local Larrakia artists. We also cast a spotlight on the diversity and excellence of Indian Australian artists.

“With a program ranging from stirring theatre and dance, to side-splitting comedy and cabaret, and brimming with the best in Australian contemporary music, we’re pretty confident that everyone, local and visitor alike, will find a performance at Darwin Festival that speaks to them.”

Here are the Festival highlights for week one:

first nations opening weekend

Experience the traditional songs, dances and paintings that inspired Gurrumul’s album Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) at the Santos Opening Night Concert, Buŋgul (4th August). This free, open-air event will see Darwin Amphitheatre at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens transformed into a meeting place of dance, song and ritual in a live performance by Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. Created on country in North East Arnhem Land with the Yunupiŋu family, Buŋgul is a ceremonial celebration of Gurrumul’s seminal final album, a landmark in Australian music.

The 16th Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair is welcoming people back in person to experience the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, design and culture at the Darwin Convention Centre (5th-7th August), with visitors having the chance to take home a contemporary creation from the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.

The National Indigenous Music Awards, one of Australia’s most important music events, returns to celebrate some of the biggest names in the Australian music scene and discover up and coming talent in one mega night of music under the stars. With Thelma Plum and King Stingray just the tip of the live performance iceberg, the night is set to be a true celebration of what has been a huge year for First Nations music (6th August at Darwin Amphitheatre).

Experience the diversity of contemporary Indigenous artistic practice when the richest art prize pool in Australia returns to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). Opening with a vibrant, free awards ceremony on 5th August, the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAAs) feature stunning new works across a variety of art forms and media by emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from around the country (6th August 2022 – 15th January 2023).

Even before the Festival officially starts, two special events will celebrate Indigenous fashion and textiles. The National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFAs, 3rd August) recognise innovation, diversity and ethical practices in First Nations’ fashion, while the hugely popular Country to Couture puts that all on show in a colourful runway showcase of wearable art (2nd August).

music

Settle in for a soulful start to musical nights in Festival Park with Australia’s Queen of Soul, Emma Donovan, and Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks, as they promise a night of impassioned tunes and masterful lyricism (5th August).

With a name perfectly suited to these turbulent times, Tropical F Storm is set to rain down on the INPEX Sunset Stage with their brain-melting apocalyptic art punk (6th August).

British indie pop sensation Arlo Parks is making Darwin Festival the very first stop on her inaugural Australian tour this August. Having won the UK’s prestigious Mercury Prize and earned triple j Feature Album status, the 21-year-old also recently nabbed herself two Grammy Nominations. Arlo Parks is fast becoming the voice of a generation (7th August).

With a sound that oscillates between torch songs inspired by Angelo Badalamenti and dystopian avant-rock reminiscent of The Birthday Party, Carla Lippis brings her rich and melancholic voice to the Festival with Carla Lippis Mondo Psycho (11th August).

Experience “cinema for your ears” with the enigmatic electro-indie-pop group Telenova when they present a night of music that evokes the feminine power of Lana Del Ray and the sophistication of Portishead (11th August).

cabaret

The Legend of Queen Kong is a fully accessible, queer, sci-fi extravaganza of meteoric proportions from cabaret darling Sarah Ward (aka Yana Alana). Equal parts rock concert and high-concept cabaret of interstellar discovery, Queen Kong's long-awaited Darwin debut is not to be missed (5th-6th August).

Guaranteed to get you laughing, thinking and shimmying in your seat, Steven Oliver graces Darwin Festival with the cabaret comedy Bigger and Blacker for one fabulous night (10th August).

comedy

Innovative and sharply hilarious alt-comedy queen Vidya Rajan brings her show Respawn to the Festival, presenting a giddy mix of stand-up, sketch and passive-aggressive PowerPoint (5th-7th August).

From antelope meat in the I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here jungle to fine dining cooking in the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen, Dilruk Jayasinha has tasted the full spectrum of reality TV cuisine. His show Dil’icious will serve up a brand-new hour of tasty stand-up (9th-10th August).

Join Dane Simpson, star of the hit show Aborigi-LOL, for Didgeridoozy, a night of gut-bustingly funny stories, fun facts and big laughs (9th August).

theatre

In Maureen: Harbinger of Death, writer and performer Jonny Hawkins transforms into Maureen, a razor-tongued “working class glamour queen”, inviting audiences into her living room for a journey into transcendent storytelling that celebrates the wisdom of female elders (9th-14th August).

Punchy and passionate, The Cold Record is a time travel through punk, performed with insightful wit and inventiveness by American theatre maker Kirk Lynn. Audiences will leave with a mixtape of memories and a promise never to speak about what was witnessed – or else (10th-14th August).

family

It has been 65 million years since Darwin echoed with the footsteps of dinosaurs. Now, thanks to Erth, Sydney’s world-famous dino-recreationists, these majestic creatures will once again walk the land. The picturesque lawns of MAGNT will transform into a Prehistoric Picnic, giving the whole family the opportunity to get up close to some life-like ancient creatures (11th-14th August).

A rough and tumble theatre work starring acclaimed Irish actor Bryan Burroughs, The Boy Who Talked to Dogs is a magical and cheeky story of transformation and redemption based on the best-selling memoir by Martin McKenna (11th-13th August).

Darwin’s favourite family fun day is back! Bring the family (and Teddy) down to The Esplanade for the City of Darwin Teddy Bears’ Picnic – a jam-packed morning of free activities designed for youngsters (7th August).

circus / physical theatre

AutoCannibal is a gruesomely funny work by circus firebrand Mitch Jones (aka Captain Ruin) that explores environmental destruction through the metaphor of an individual body. Mesmerising, poignant and terrifyingly hilarious, this unnerving merger of circus, performance art and physical theatre will have audiences on the edge of their seats (5th-7th August).

dance

A testament to friendship, respect and profound exchange, TWO is a joyful celebration of trust, as two friends test the power hierarchy inherent in the Indian Kathak tradition through dance and dialogue. An intergenerational and interdisciplinary bromance between a dynamic dancer and a maestro Tabla musician, TWO is performed by creator and choreographer Raghav Handa and musician Maharshi Raval (5th-7th August).

Waŋa sees NT Dance Company fuse traditional lore with contemporary movement to create an evocative new dance work. Accompanied by Darwin Symphony Orchestra's string quartet, Waŋa (Spirit) showcases Artistic Director and choreographer Gary Lang’s unique style of contemporary ‘Indigenous ballet’ in a moving, epic production (5th-6th August).

classical music

Inspired by the Australian landscape and the power of connection to place, Heartland offers a unique sound world that blends the talents of internationally acclaimed didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and violinist Véronique Serret for a powerful, yet ethereal, musical experience (7th August).

Lie back on a mat, close your eyes and be taken away to an otherworldly, intercultural sonic space with SonicDrift. This musical experience, presented by Arafura Music Collective, promises to take audiences on an immersive and transportive musical adventure (10th-11th August).

words & ideas

With support from Charles Darwin University, Darwin Festival is running an Artists in Conversation series throughout the 2022 Festival. One of the shows included in the  program is TWO, an intergenerational, interdisciplinary bromance between dynamic contemporary dancer Raghav Handa and maestro Tabla musician Maharshi Raval; a post-show talk with the creators of the work will take place after the performance on 6th August.

film

From Australia’s internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre, a professional theatre company with an ensemble of actors with disabilities at its core, comes a darkly humorous film, screening at Darwin's beloved Deckchair Cinema (8th August). SHADOW uses a combination of dramatic and documentary-style elements to tell the story of a group of activists who hold a public meeting, desperate to save the world. Directed by Bruce Gladwin, SHADOW is based on Back to Back Theatre’s extraordinary, award-winning stage play The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes.

visual arts

Ten years ago, the first Salon des Refusés burst onto gallery walls, confirming the place of the phenomenal artwork submitted, but not accepted into, the Telstra NATSIAAs. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of this now must-see exhibition, Salon Art Projects is echoing the very first event by hosting it in an abandoned ice-making factory on the outskirts of Darwin’s CBD (3rd-7th August).

Darwin Festival is proudly supported by the Northern Territory Government and City of Darwin.

the details

What: Darwin Festival 2022    
When: 4th-21st August 2022
More info: www.darwinfestival.org.au

Images: Jamie Yunupingu dancing the Baru (saltwater crocodile dance); The Boy Who Talked to Dogs. Credit: Andy Ellis; Mitch Jones Autocannibal

Related Articles

17th June 2022 - Darwin Festival organisers unveil an impressive program for 2022

12th May 2022 - Darwin Festival attracts return of international acts for 2022

23rd August 2021 - Darwin Festival delivers successful 2021 event notwithstanding COVID challenges

4th August 2021 - Darwin Festival to deliver diverse and vibrant program including circus and live music acts

17th August 2020 - 2020 Darwin Festival breaks sales record despite Coronavirus

9th July 2020 - 2020 Darwin Festival unveils DF20 Homegrown program

20th May 2020 - Modified Darwin Festival to be a local celebration of strength and resilience

20th August 2019 - Darwin Festival sets 40-year record for ticket sales

23rd July 2022 - Victoria’s music festivals and events to receive $8 million boost

22nd July 2022 - New Melbourne Festival to showcase works from creatives with disabilities

20th July 2022 - Airlie Beach Festival of Music celebrates 10th Anniversary with diverse line-up

17th July 2022 - Festivals Australia program continues to support arts and cultural events in regional Australia

15th July 2022 - 2022 program highlights released for Sydney Fringe Festival

11th July 2022 - $2.1 million funding allocated for Caboolture Abbey Medieval Festival and Museum

7th July 2022 - $20 million funding to spotlight Outback Queensland as music festival destination.

7th July 2022 - 2022 Brisbane Festival program to showcase creative events and collaborations

30th June 2022 - Victorian Government invests in Multicultural Festivals and Events

28th June 2022 - Almost 40,000 attend Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2022 across six venues

22nd June 2022 - Australia’s most disability inclusive, accessible music festival returns to Melbourne in 2023

22nd June 2022 - Ticketing data reveals 2022 Adelaide Festival as a significant tourism event

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.