Reshared from Darwin Festival.

Darwin Festival has announced that the much-loved festival is spreading its wings to embrace Palmerston this year for the first time, with a fun-packed weekend program in Goyder Square on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 August.
The new partnership with City of Palmerston will see families with children of all ages enjoy a free Family Fiesta on Friday evening, while an Australian comedy legend will MC two performances of Laugh Out Loud, a stand-up comedy show for adults on Saturday night.
Darwin Festival Artistic Director Kate Fell said creating a special festival event in the heart of Palmerston was an exciting opportunity to add to Festival’s exciting line-up across Darwin.
“Darwin Festival connects people through the love of music, arts, entertainment and culture. To be able to surprise, delight, and entertain the Palmerston community in their community is fantastic,” said Fell.
City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said: “"We're thrilled to host a special weekend in this year's Darwin Festival right here in Palmerston. It's a fantastic opportunity for Palmerston residents and visitors from neighbouring communities to experience an event in our own backyard, giving us a chance to highlight everything our vibrant community has to offer. “Our Palmerston event calendar is always bustling, and this year is no exception. But having such a well-regarded event hosted here in Palmerston will be fantastic. With free and ample parking, convenient local accommodation, easy public transport access, and the boost it'll give to our local businesses, this is a tremendous win for our community. It's a great initiative by the Festival organisers, and we're honoured to collaborate with them!"
The free Family Fiesta be non-stop fun and adventure, with multiple acts on a main stage including ARIA Award winners The Teeny Tiny Stevies, the 18-piece Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band, roving entertainment, and even a silent disco.
Laugh Out Loud will feature some of the country’s funniest stand-up comics and leave audiences in stitches. Merrick Watts will bring the house down as MC, headliners Dilruk Jayasinha and Nikki Britton will feature, and local legend Kelly Gulliver will kick off the night.
“It will be a packed weekend of family-friendly fun, entertaining performances, roving artists, market stalls, food, music, laughs and more,” said Fell.
The full Darwin Festival program of cabaret, theatre, comedy, dance, visual arts, outdoor concerts under the stars and fun family events will be announced on Wednesday 29 May.
Audiences are invited to sign up as a Friend of the Festival (darwinfestival.org.au/friends) for early ticket access to the full program.

Darwin Festival is proudly supported by the Northern Territory Government through Northern Territory Major Events Company.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Andrea Kerekes, andrea@accesspr.com.au 0418 427 412; Kate Dinning, kate@accesspr.com.au 0401 433 767