Darwin Festival Year in Review 2022

YEAR IN REVIEW

We were excited to welcome interstate and overseas visitors and artists back to Larrakia country to be part of the huge Darwin Festival 2022 program, and we were fortunate that nothing got in the way of us celebrating 18 fun-filled nights of culture and the arts.

We have become accustomed to Felix Preval doing things in style, so it was entirely appropriate that his tenure as Artistic Director ended with a real bang, with record crowds soaking up the atmosphere at our hub venue Festival Park and being part of the action at Darwin Amphitheatre and Jervois Park. The Festival wouldn’t be what it is without our audiences, and special thanks must go to our loyal Friends who came out night after night to experience the wide range of music, cabaret, comedy, theatre, dance, visual arts and family-friendly events on offer. Our partners, funders and donors also deserve huge thanks for their support and for sticking with us in these uncertain times. We are lucky to attract incredible staff and volunteers every year and we can’t thank them, our amazing team and our dedicated Board enough for their part in the success of Darwin Festival 2022.

As we all get used to the world’s new normal, we enter an exciting phase, with a new Artistic Director at the helm. Kate Fell brings a wealth of experience and a remarkable vision for the next three years, with a program of magical moments that connect communities through the celebration of culture and the arts. We can’t wait to share Darwin Festival with you in 2023.

JAMES GOUGH Chief Executive Officer

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

STARTING THE FESTIVAL WITH A BANG

As visitors headed to the Top End in droves, the excitement was palpable for a sensational opening weekend celebrating First Nations art and culture.

The Festival’s opening night extravaganza Buŋgul was certainly worth the wait! The Amphitheatre was bursting with energy as 5,000 patrons packed in to picnic and enjoy this spotlight on Yolŋu music, stories, art and culture featuring the music of Gurrumul performed by Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The atmosphere was electric and the perfect start to Darwin Festival 2023.

The very best in Indigenous art was everywhere in the city over the opening weekend and crowds poured into Darwin

Aboriginal Art Fair, back in real life for the first time since 2019, and the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, both events showcasing an extensive selection of the nation’s best Indigenous art. Salon des Refusés took up residence in an old ice cream factory and the Salon Arts Project team came together with Agency for Untold Darwin, a weekend of First Nations storytelling, discussion and exchange.

Australia’s annual celebration of First Nations music, the National Indigenous Music Awards, was welcomed back as a live, in person event by a huge crowd of music fans, who were treated to the best in Indigenous music. Emma Donovan led a magical tribute to the legendary Archie Roach, Birdz and Fred Leone teamed up to form a killer hip-hop duo and King Stingray performed an electric set.

RECORD CROWDS OUT TO CELEBRATE

Throughout the Festival’s 18 Hot August Nights, the atmosphere around the city was

one of celebration. Nowhere was that more obvious than at Darwin Amphitheatre when over 4,000 people turned out to witness the ultimate entertainer, Tim Minchin, dazzle Darwin with his wit, charm and extraordinary musical talent.

The beating heart of the action, Festival Park, was the place to be, and locals and visitors alike were enchanted by this tropical winter wonderland. Over the 15 nights the Park was open, more than 50,000 people enjoyed a taste of the Territory from local vendors, refreshing beverages (including the Festival’s signature gin, created in collaboration with Darwin’s Willing Distillery) and catching up with friends – or making new ones! The record crowds were treated to a smorgasbord of incredible local, national and even international artists.

The spotlight was on Territory talent on the free Power and Water Bamboo Bandstand and theatre and comedy were popular at Brown’s Mart, with many seasons selling out or close to it. Larrakia artists Trent and Jason Lee transformed the INPEX Sunset Stage with their stunning sea creatures, making this mainstage under the stars the

Darwin Festival 2022 attendee

“It’s a highlight on my calendar that I look forward to. It’s such a wonderful combination of culture and superb weather!”

perfect venue for some of the Festival’s biggest acts. Comedy and cabaret were king (and queen) with audiences desperately joining waitlists for shows such as Hard Quiz, Finucane & Smith’s Travelling Dance Hall, YUMMY, Steven Oliver and Tripod. Music was also a huge hit, from the soulful opening notes of Emma Donovan and The Putbacks to the exquisite vocals and cool grooves of Ngaiire to close the Festival. UK indie star Arlo Parks started her first Australian tour in Darwin, performing a sell-out show to adoring fans, and tickets were also red hot to sold out shows from Confidence Man and Sunshine and Disco Faith Choir, the latter firing up the crowd for an epic final Saturday night that saw the queue for late-night Club Awi snake all around Festival Park.

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON TERRITORY TALENT

Darwin Festival’s Spotlight Creative Development Fund was created to put NT artists centre stage, with 100% of

donations received going directly to artists. After launching in 2021, this initiative awarded its first grants earlier this year, with three events featuring in the 2022 Festival program.

Waŋa premiered on The Playhouse stage at Darwin Entertainment Centre to packed houses and rave reviews. This stunning ‘Indigenous ballet’ brought together artists from NT Dance Company in collaboration with emerging dancers, MIKU Performing Arts and Darwin Symphony Orchestra.

Sold out audiences were taken on a sonic journey, serenaded by members of Darwin’s Arafura Music Collective while lying down in historic Audit House as part of SonicDrift. This otherworldly, intercultural music and meditation experience had to add extra shows to try and keep up with demand, and was a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the Festival elsewhere for many.

Alice Springs and Top End musos came together with songwriter and producer Resin Moon on a Sunday night on the

INPEX Sunset Stage for a celebration of what it means to be a Territorian. My Sunburnt Soundtrack featured new songs from artists including Caiti Baker, David Garnham, Broadwing and Casii Williams all enjoyed by a laidback crowd on picnic blankets under the stars. The songs will be recorded and released as an album –something to look out for in 2023.

The free closing event balarr inyiny was the perfect way to celebrate this place and its people and to farewell the Festival for another year. Over three stunning nights more than 20,000 people headed to Jervois Park for a spectacular display of Larrakia storytelling led by Jenna Lee and supported by elders from the Larrakia community. Ancient tradition and cuttingedge technology came together as 160 drones took to the sky in a choreographed display accompanied by a soundtrack from Kuya James and stories from Larrakia elders. The experience was breathtaking and will stay with those who saw it for a long time. It was the perfect reminder of the transformative power of the arts and its importance to our city.