04 June 2024
7 mins Read
From celebrations of First Nations cultures to dazzling light displays and outdoor opera performances to drag and diva festivals, here are the best outback events held on red dirt and under vast desert skies.
What could be more mesmerising than an operatic voice under an outback sky studded with stars? Hosted by Opera Queensland, the Festival of Outback Opera is a week-long program of outdoor concerts in the towns of Winton and Longreach.
To give an idea of the quality of performance that can be expected, the headline act for 2024 was singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke. Tenor Rosario La Spina, soprano Rachelle Durkin and more joined her. The festival isn’t just about singing though, join a long lunch event, a spectacular gala ball and hear experts in the industry and the local community speak on what it means to bring the performing arts to parts of Australia that don’t usually have access to them.
No stage lighting could compare to the tapestry of colours painted by an outback sunset. (Image: Glenn Hunt Photo)
The 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges and surrounding desert is a natural canvas for large-scale light installations during this 10-night celebration of Aboriginal art and culture.
A combination of innovative technology and traditional storytelling, the 2024 theme centres around ‘Interconnectedness’. Visitors can also expect live music, workshops, demonstrations and an open-air food market.
The 2024 theme centres around ‘Interconnectedness’. (Image: NT Major Events/James Horan)
Garma is the country’s largest Indigenous gathering, attracting thousands of political and business leaders from across the globe. It’s organised by the Yothu Yindi Foundation to share traditional Yolu knowledge systems and improve social equity for Aboriginal people.
Held in remote Northeast Arnhem Land, Garma showcases art, song, dance, film and storytelling from the Gulkula ceremonial site on the Gove Peninsula.
Garma is the country’s largest Indigenous gathering. (Image: Nina Franova)
Crafting beanies has become a distinctive art form in the Red Centre, where a festival dedicated to the humble headpiece has been held for almost three decades.
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival exhibits a dazzling array of beanies made by craftspeople from Mparntwe/Alice Springs and other remote areas, as well as workshops run by Indigenous women who share their methods of needlework, spinning and basketry.
The rugged landscape of Mparntwe/Alice Springs will be sprinkled with fabulousness for this festival that celebrates inclusivity and diversity. The event pays homage to the 1994 cult Aussie film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Think burlesque shows, Drag Queen Story Time and a street parade. There will also be a screening of the film and tours around the Central Desert town in a Budget Barbie Camper.
Mparntwe/Alice Springs will be sprinkled with fabulousness for fabALICE. (Image: Tourism NT)
At the 1988 Barunga Festival, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke was presented with the Barunga Statement, which called for Indigenous rights and inspired the Yothu Yindi hit Treaty.
The festival, held in the small community of Barunga, 80 kilometres south-east of Katherine, continues to foster reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The program aims to preserve ancient Aboriginal rites, customs and skills through dance, sporting events, art, bush medicine, storytelling and more.
Barunga Festival continues to foster reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The tiny outback Queensland town of Birdsville has become an unexpected icon for its historic pub and annual Birdsville Races. But even bigger is the Big Red Bash, an all-ages music festival held on the edge of the Simpson Desert. Camping under the Milky Way is an unforgettable experience; add to that a line-up of Aussie music legends such as Tina Arena and Richard Clapton.
Meanwhile, James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite and The Living End will take to the stage near the frontier mining town of Broken Hill in outback NSW for the Mundi Mundi Bash.
Festival-goers performed The Nutbush at the 2023 Mundi Mundi Bash. (Image: Matt Williams)
It’s all colour and creativity in Cunnamulla for the Outback River Lights Festival. The annual three-day event celebrates the spirit of community and local outback life with everything from workshops to live entertainment, face painting, food stalls and a lantern parade.
While in town, be sure to also appreciate the rugged beauty of the outback at the brand-new Cunnamulla Hot Springs. Meditate on your surrounds while soaking in the mineral-rich pools and relaxing in the sauna and steam room on the banks of the Warrego River.
A large convergence of utes put the small town of Deniliquin on the map in 1999 during a devastating drought. 25 years on and the largest and flattest plains on Earth now welcome some 10,000 utes to town each year for the festivities.
The program includes country and rock performances, bull rides, woodchopping, whip cracking and the ‘Blue Singlet Count’, which currently stands at 4136.
A large convergence of utes put the small town of Deniliquin on the map.
While the 30th anniversary of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will be cause for celebration this year, its spiritual home honours the film annually with the Broken Heel Festival.
But 2024 is expected to be bigger and better than ever and will involve some of the cast and crew during a five-day program that is all about drag, divas and disco.
Now in its 54th year, the Shinju Matsuri Festival is a showcase of Broome’s unique multicultural history, pearling industry and striking natural landscape where the red desert clashes with turquoise water.
Japanese for ‘Festival of the Pearl’, the two-week program held on the Traditional Lands of the Yawuru people includes gourmet festival, A Taste of Broome, long lunches, film screenings and a spectacular float parade through Chinatown.
The Shinju Matsuri Festival is a showcase of Broome’s unique multicultural history. (Image: Laura Gass)
Deep in the Pilbara in Karijini National Park’s ancient and spectacular landscape, the Karijini Experience welcomes some 2000 visitors annually to the Traditional Lands of the Banjima people for a cultural event organised closely with Traditional Owners.
The experiences are designed to connect people to Country and include bush medicine workshops, storytelling and language workshops, guided bushwalks, as well as concerts under the stars by local musicians.
From its Corroboree Under the Stars with traditional bush tucker to a black-tie dinner that includes entertainment by The Screaming Jets and Sarah McLeod, the Boab Metals Ord Valley Muster is a nine-day event in East Kimberley with a diverse program.
Other events include Yoga on a Boat, the Gibb Challenge (a bike ride along the iconic outback road) and cultural storytelling by local Miriwoong people.
Attend the Corroboree Under the Stars. (Image: Sarah Duguid Photography)
A celebration of all things film, this free festival kicks off with the screening of an Aussie movie at the 1950s Silver City Cinema in Broken Hill. The fest continues with an outdoor marathon of short films, alongside market and food stalls at Sturt Park and a free filmmaking workshop.
The jewel of the outback is the glittering sandstorm of stars that bedazzle the desert skies each night. This year, the inaugural Festival of the Outback Skies in Hughenden celebrates the lifestyle of the rural community and all things astronomical.
Enjoy a dinner under the stars, a telescope viewing and the lantern-lit lake where you can lie back and marvel at the stars above.
The night skies are the jewel of the outback. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
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