Darwin Festival in Palmerston

Join us as Darwin Festival heads back to Palmerston in August for a jam-packed weekend in Goyder Square!

Family Fiesta (FREE)

Friday, 14 August from 5pm to 9pm in Goyder Square.

Snap up a bargain at the market stalls, get your fill of some delicious food and discover free entertainment at every turn. There is so much to enjoy.

Circus, musical moments, dancing and more take place on the big stage and throughout the square. Witness a new acrobatic collaboration from world-renowned circus company Gravity and Other Myths and local stars from Corrugated Iron. 

Learn some deadly new dance moves with legendary Torres Strait Islander dancer Albert David, backed by the Gaba Gaba Bayan drummers from across the Pacific led by PNG/Australian master drummer Airileke. 

Follow three cockatoos on a journey of culture, connection and care for Country in Birmba. Be enchanted by the powerful stories of Yalanji songwoman Deline Briscoe before Fiesta will get everyone up and dancing where you can take your new found mambo moves to the dance floor with a live band.

Main Stage:
5pm Birmba
6.15pm Gaba Gaba Bayan
7.15pm Deline Briscoe
8.10pm Fiesta

See event

Global Rhythms (TICKETED) 

The Kandola Allstars, Gaba Gaba Bayan, Larry Gurruwiwi & Malawurr

Saturday, 15 August from 5:45pm in Goyder Square.

A world class multicultural music showcase to have you up and dancing under the Palmerston stars.

The Kandola Allstars are a group of virtuosic, eclectic musicians who represent some of the finest talent Australia has to offer. Friendship and shared musical projects have seen these artists performing and touring together for many years, most recently as part of the Bobby Singh & Friends project. Due to circumstances beyond our control, Bobby is unable to travel to Darwin, but his friends in the Kandola Allstars will represent him in both music and spirit.

Drawing on the legacy of Drum Drum and Drumming Up The Storm, PNG/Australian master drummer Airileke brings together his family of drummers alongside dancers from across the Pacific. Gaba Gaba Bayan invite you to a special celebration of rhythm, migration, life and nature, with a message to the world.

Larry Gurruwiwi is a force of nature. A multi-instrumentalist with an incredible voice, he is also acknowledged as the greatest traditional yidaki virtuoso in the world. Continuing the legacy of his late father, the legendary Galpu Clan leader Mr D Gurruwiwi, Larry brings the music of the world’s oldest culture to a contemporary audience. 

This stunning program of music from across South Asia, the Pacific and the Northern Territory will immerse you in culture, music and dance across generations, genres, lands and seas. Let the rhythm carry you into the night...

Buy tickets

For more information visit the Darwin Festival website.