Darwin Festival has announced its first shows for 2022, among them performances by The Australian Ballet, a work by NT Dance Company, Andrea James’ play Sunshine Super Girl about tennis legend Evonne Goolagong, and a free open-air concert celebrating Gurrumul’s final album Djarimirri.

Sunset crowd at Darwin Festival. Photo © Tony Lewis for Darwin Festival

Darwin Festival, which runs 4–21 August, is the Northern Territory’s largest major arts festival. The tropical winter festival began life in July 1979 as a floral showcase called the Bougainvillea Festival to help celebrate Darwin’s revival after the damage wreaked by Cyclone Tracy. In the 1990s, it shifted its focus to community arts, becoming known as the Festival of Darwin in 1996. In 2003, it was renamed Darwin Festival.

This year’s festival opens with a free, open-air event celebrating Gurrumul’s music, culture and songlines. The Santos Opening Night Concert, Buŋgul, will feature a performance by Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO). Created on Country in North East Arnhem Land with the Yunupiŋu family, Buŋgul is a...