OUT THERE EVENTS

A roster of COLOURFUL cultural events hosted in the beating heart of Australia provides a PRISM through which to view the VIBRANCY of the outback.

LAURA QUINKAN INDIGENOUS DANCE FESTIVAL, CAPE YORK

Held in the remote Queensland outpost of Laura, this biennial, three-day festival is a riot of colour and culture as some 20 different Cape communities gather to share stories and histories through music, song and spectacular traditional group dancing. The next festival, overseen by the Ang-Gnarra Aboriginal Corporation, the trustee of the traditional lands of the Ang Gnarra people in and around Laura, is scheduled to take place from 7–9 July 2023. anggnarra.org.au

PARRTJIMA + ALICE SPRINGS BEANIE FESTIVAL, MPARNTWE/ALICE SPRINGS

Ancient traditions meet new-age technology to spectacular effect at Parrtjima (parrtjimaaustralia.com.

au), the celebrated annual festival of light (pictured below right). Over 10 days, works by Aboriginal artists are transformed into mesmerising light installations and projected against the imposing 300-million-year-old backdrop of the MacDonnell Ranges. The 2022 event will light up the Central Australian night sky from 8–17 April. Alice Springs is also home to the delightfully quirky Beanie Festival (beaniefest.org), with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists gathering together to celebrate the humble beanie. This year’s festival will take place at Araluen Arts Centre from 24–27 June.

BIG RED BASH, BIRDSVILLE

There are three things in Birdsville that everyone knows about: the iconic hotel, the annual race meeting and the Big Red Bash (above right), a three-day extravaganza of Aussie music held in the breathtaking surrounds of Munga-Thirri National Park (Simpson Desert). Proudly boasting to being the most remote music festival in the world, the tyranny of distance doesn’t stop crowds from flocking to see some of Australian music’s biggest artists, including the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers and Kate Ceberano on the 2022 bill, scheduled to take place from 5–7 July. bigredbash.com.au

DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR

Having been established in 2007, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF), held on Larrakia Country, has gone on to become the country’s largest and most significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts event. With more than 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Centres in attendance, representing more than 2000 artists, DAAF also boasts a program of cultural events including artist talks, dance, music, food and the hugely popular Country to Couture runway show (below left). And the best thing about DAAF is that it gives art lovers the chance to buy Indigenous art in an ethical and responsible manner, with 100 per cent of the money raised from the sale of artworks (both at the show and as part of its new online program) going directly to the artists and their communities. The 2022 fair will take place from 5–7 August. daaf.com.au

THE BROKEN HILL MUNDI MUNDI BASH

This is the country’s newest outback festival, and in 2022 it will be held twice – from 21–23 April and 18–20 August. From the organisers of the Big Red Bash, the action takes place on the Mundi Mundi Plains with the Barrier Ranges in the background. The line-up for the family-friendly, all-ages festival includes Paul Kelly, Ian Moss and John Williamson in April and Busby Marou, Jon Stevens and Daryl Braithwaite in August. mundimundibash.com.au