Alice Springs Festivals You Don't Want To Miss

Alice Springs (Mparntwe) punches above its weight with some of the most unique destination events in Australia.

From an opera performance in an ancient gorge to a beanie festival that attracts Aboriginal Territorians from remote communities and visitors alike, it’s clear that Alice Springs is where the parties are at. Gather your family or friends and plan a trip around these festivals and events in Alice Springs.

Alice Springs Beanie Festival

Here’s something you don’t see every day: 6500 beanies transformed into vibrant works of art.

knitters gathering at the Beanie Festival

Knitters from all around Australia gather at the Beanie Festival. (Image: Oliver Eclipse)

The joyful four-day Beanie Festival held in June brings together knitters from remote Central Australian communities and crafters from all around Australia. Expect a dazzling array of knitwear, live music and plenty of food stalls with delicious treats.

Woman tries on a beanie at the Beanie Festival in Alice Springs

Leave the festival with your wearable art. (Image: Oliver Eclipse)

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light

One to plan an Alice Springs trip in April around, the dazzling after-dark Parrtjima – A Festival of Light takes place at the Alice Springs Desert Park over 10 nights.

Witness the vibrant festival of light projected onto the MacDonnell Ranges. (Image: Parrtjima)

Expect epic projections of new and old Aboriginal artworks onto the majestic MacDonnell Ranges, a 300-million-year-old natural canvas.

the Grounded installation at Parrtjima 2024

Wander through the immersive Grounded art installation. (Image: Parrtjima)

The festival also includes music performances, art workshops and talks by some of Australia’s most well-known Indigenous identities.

a couple wandering at the art displays in Parrtjima 2024

The annual Parrtjima festival celebrates art, music, and culture. (Image: Parrtjima)

FabALICE Festival

Pack your glitter and hop aboard! The annual FabALICE in March boasts a program of fun-filled parties, performances and night markets that celebrate the vibrant queer culture that has long permeated Alice Springs. Of course this four-day festival includes a screening of the flick Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Also don’t miss catching a ride on the Budget Barbie Camper, where performers take punters on hour-long tours around town.

FabALICE Festival celebrates the vibrant queer culture in Alice Springs. (Image: Tourism NT))

Desert Song Festival

Catch performances by renowned pianists, violinists, choirs and string quartets in some of the most remote locations in Australia.

Witness superb performances at the Desert Song Festival.

Over 10 days in September, Desert Song Festival treats attendees to a program of concerts, workshops and masterclasses, with many events taking place in phenomenal outdoor locations.

an art workshop at the Desert Song Festival, Alice Springs

The festival also offers workshops and masterclasses.

The highlight? A concert at Ormiston Gorge, 135 kilometres west of Alice Springs, featuring the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir.

a concert at Ormiston Gorge, Desert Song Festival

Don’t miss the concert in Ormiston Gorge.

Red CentreNATS

Rev heads get ready for Red CentreNATS, a three-day spectacular of classic, modified and luxury cars and motorbikes competing in a range of categories. Held in late August and early September, highlights include street parades, drag races, show ‘n’ shine vehicle displays and the epic wrap-up party, where champions are crowned, and all things rev heads are celebrated.

The Red CentreNATS is a celebration of all things rev heads. (Image: Tourism NT)

Tatts Finke Desert Race

Racing is always hard but there are some races that are tougher than others. Enter the Tatts Finke Desert Race, a two-day off-road race for bikes, cars and buggies through desert country from Alice Springs to the Aputula (Finke) community.

Head trackside for a great view of the Tatts Finke Desert Race.

Held over the King’s Birthday long weekend in June, “Finke" as it’s known, attracts bikers, car racers and spectators. Head trackside for a great view of the race in the public areas, located close to town at the three-, four- and 10-kilometre marks.

a motorbike rider racing through the desert country during the Tatts Finke Desert Race

Bikes also get in on the action in this off-road race through the desert.

Alice Springs Show

Bring the whole family to the beloved Alice Springs Show for two days of carnival rides, games, petting zoos, wood chopping, V8 displays, fireworks and more.

A ride on the Ferris Wheel is always a highlight.

Get a unique insight into rural life in the Red Centre by checking out the equestrian, cattle and poultry events.

horseback riding at the Alice Springs Show

Rural life puts its best foot forward in this two-day show.

Wide Open Space Festival

Set against the backdrop of the MacDonnell Ranges, Wide Open Space Festival attendees can enjoy panoramic views of the ancient ranges all the while getting down to cutting-edge electronic beats, soulful live performances and global sounds.

Wide Open Space Festival is a celebration of music, arts and desert culture.
(Image: Tourism NT/Helen Orr)

Held over three days in May at Ross River Resort, 80 kilometres east of Alice Springs, the options are plentiful; take a dip in the pool, simply enjoy the music or take a hike on one of the many walking tracks.

Lose yourself in cutting-edge electronic beats. (Image: Tourism NT/Helen Orr)

Blacken Open Air

Metal enthusiasts don’t miss your chance to headbang in the desert. Blacken Open Air is a three-night camp-out festival held at Ross River Resort in August, the same stunning location as Wide Open Space Festival. Run by Alice Springs’ own heavy music label, The Black Wreath, the festival features a huge line up of bands from across Australia, as well as Arrernte cultural performances.

Alice Springs Masters Games

Calling all mature sports lovers: Alice Springs Masters Games, aka the Friendly Games, are held in October and are open to anyone with a love of sports who meets the age criteria. Over eight days, athletes compete in various sports, such as archery, badminton, basketball, cricket, darts, swimming, lawn bowls and equestrian.

Field hockey is one of the many sports you can take part in over the course of the event.

Desert Mob

Explore artwork from more than 35 art centres in Central Australia at Desert Mob, a festival taking place in September at Araluen Arts Centre.

Desert Mob displays artwork from more than 35 art centres across Central Australia. (Image: Tourism NT)

This sprawling celebration of Aboriginal art and artists presented over 15 days by Desart, features an exhibition, symposiums, marketplace, workshops and performances.

a couple looking at a painting in Desert Mob

The Araluen Art Centre plays hosts to a wide range of exquisite artworks. (Image: Tourism NT)

Henley on Todd Regatta

No water in the river? That won’t stop the Alice Springs locals from holding a regatta.

Henley on Todd Regatta the world’s only dry river boating event in Alice Springs. (Image: Tourism NT/Imparja Creative)

The dry riverbed of the Todd River comes alive each August with the Henley on Todd Regatta, featuring ‘boats’ running on sand, pirate battles and a flotilla of bathtubs, showcasing the Red Centre’s infectious sense of humour.

participants and spectators at the Henley on Todd Regatta in Alice Springs

The boat race is held on the dry sandy riverbed of the Todd River. (Image: Tourism NT/Imparja Creative)

For more incredible ways to explore the region, read our travel guide to Alice Springs.

Each April, Parrtjima turns the landscape around Alice Springs (Mparntwe) into a virtual canvas with large-scale light installations that adorn the ancient slopes of the MacDonnell Ranges.

This annual 10-night celebration of Aboriginal art and culture also features performances, talks, films, a meandering six-metre-high puppet, and the Buy Blak Market, as well as nightly projections against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges. The next Parrtjima: A Festival in Light runs from 4 to 13 April 2025 and will feature the first open-air performance by Darwin Symphony Orchestra. It will be the milestone 10th edition of the festival, so expect an extra-special celebration.

The theme of the upcoming festival is Timelessness, a nod to the enduring connection Aboriginal people have to culture, art and stories that span thousands of years. Here’s everything you need to know before you see it with your own eyes.

the MacDonnell Ranges Light Show during the Parrtjima

See nightly projections against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges. (Image: Parrtjima)

What is Parrtjima?

Since its debut in 2016, visitors from across Australia have been drawn to this celebration of Aboriginal culture, which lights up the night sky above Alice Springs Desert Park (ASDP).

the GUTS dance cultural performance at Parrtjima

Witness empowering cultural performances. (Image: Parrtjima)

Each year the event celebrates the ways in which local artists experiment with styles and mediums. Artworks are curated from submissions from the area’s Aboriginal art centres and independent artists and assessed for cultural appropriateness by the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group, a network of senior Arrernte Elders. The creative team then incorporates the approved artworks into the festival’s program; the paintings are turned into large-scale illuminated installations that light up the desert.

A mother and son experience the Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet at Parrtjima 2024

The giant Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet wanders around the festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

Parrtjima (pronounced Par-Chee-ma) means ‘lighting up’ and conveys two meanings: physically illuminating an object with light and ‘lighting up’ as in to shed light and understanding on a subject. The festival is delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and produced by creative experience design studio Grumpy Sailor.

Engaging talks and performances are all part of the festival.

What’s the significance of Parrtjima?

Parrtjima Curator Rhoda Roberts AO says the festival offers visitors a unique opportunity to listen, learn and interconnect.

“This is a real opportunity to listen to and learn from some of Australia’s top First Nations voices, and that’s what the spirit of Parrtjima is all about. Listening, learning and interconnecting to better understand each other.”

Ms Roberts says that to this day the most wonderful things still happen out of interconnectedness.

“Interconnectedness blankets the wisdom of generations. At Parrtjima, we are reminded by our hosts, the Arrernte people, that culture is everything to experience and absorb.”

Parrtjima Curator Rhoda Roberts AO, speaks of the importance of the festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

What to expect at Parrtjima

The MacDonnell Ranges are usually majestic enough but imagine them brought to life with a spectacular light show that reflects the colours and movement of the planting seasons and kwatye (water).

The lightshow on the MacDonnell Ranges for Parrtjima 2024

MacDonnell Ranges lights up during the Parrtjima festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

The crowd favourite, Grounded, is a giant, seamless canvas of animated artworks by Central and Western Desert region artists brought to life using the latest technology. It is like a magical carpet spreading across the desert floor that echoes the sand ceremonies enacted seasonally in Aboriginal culture.

Grounded, is a giant, seamless canvas of animated artworks. (Image: Parrtjima)

One of the newest additions to the program is a large-scale light and art installation called Tjoritja Cockatoos, where you can hear the chatter of black cockatoos as Vanessa Inkamala’s art, in the style of the Hermannsburg School of watercolour, is brought to life through animation and sound.

Vanessa Inkamala’s art is brought to life through animation and sound in Tjoritja Cockatoos. (Image: Parrtjima)

Each year, the festival showcases live music by Aboriginal musicians, free films, performance art, and stories told and shared in and around Todd Mall in central Alice Springs and the Desert Park at the base of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

the Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet at Parrtjima 2024

Arelhe Urrperle is a six-metre-high Erth puppet at Parrtjima. (Image: Steven Woodburn)

Children play with the props as part of the Arelhe Urrperle installation. (Image: Parrtjima)

Cultural workshops have also been hosted across the festival, allowing visitors to learn how to make a spear, discover the secrets of the ancient Arrernte language, or create their own artworks and sculptures.

A couple explore the light installation at Parrtjima 2024

Get up close to the light installations. (Image: Parrtjima)

How to travel to Alice Springs to see Parrtjima

Alice Springs is only a few hours’ flying time from most Australian capital cities. Qantas and Jetstar run daily direct flights from all capital cities (except Perth). Virgin also flies from most capital cities to Alice Springs.

The Stuart Highway is the main road link to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. From Alice Springs to Uluru it is 450 kilometres and Alice Springs to Darwin is 1,500 kilometres.

People gather at the food trucks during Parrtjima 2024

Gather around for a night filled with art, music and entertainment. (Image: Parrtjima)

Book a bed or pitch a tent in Alice Springs. From motel rooms, campgrounds and B&Bs to hotels and award-winning resorts, there is plenty of accommodation available to suit your budget and taste.

While the festival is free, you will need to register for entry to Parrtjima – A Festival in Light. Registration opens on November 15, 2024 with costed tickets for a special closing weekend performance by Darwin Symphony Orchestra — the first orchestral performance in Parrtjima’s decade-long history also released the same day.

The annual Alice Springs festivals and events you don’t want to miss