Parrtjima Unveils Huge 10th Anniversary Line-up

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light returns to Alice Springs Desert Park for its star-studded tenth anniversary edition this April.

Parrtjima is the only Aboriginal light festival of its kind, and will showcase more than 20 First Nations artists’ works across six major installations, with 100 performers and special guests throughout music, comedy, art, workshops, and more.

Last year’s festival attracted over 21,000 attendances, generating $9.42 million for the Alice Springs economy.

This year’s installations will take over Arrernte Country over ten nights. The full program for this year’s edition has landed ahead of its 4-13 April festival dates.

In terms of music and comedy, Parrtjima will host nightly performances. Troy Cassar-Daley will perform on the festival’s opening weekend, where he’ll play his only free show for the remainder of 2025, and his only free gig in Outback Australia.

On the closing weekend, a historic, ticketed performance by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra will mark the first orchestral performance in the festival’s history. The 50+ piece orchestra will perform alongside critically acclaimed Desert Divas Catherine Satour, Casii Williams, and Bronwyn Stuart.

Tickets for the Darwin Symphony Orchestra performance are now available via the Parrtjima Festival website.

In addition to Cassar-Daley and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, other performers include singer-songwriter Bumpy, hip-hop outfit Dem Mob, Warren H Williamsand Western Wind.

Parrtjima’s first-ever comedy night will take place on Thursday, 10 April, hosting stand-up performances by Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra.

Punters can register for free for this year’s festival at the Parrtjima website.

This year’s festival theme is Timelessness. It will host award-winning and emerging First Nations artists who celebrate cultural continuity and storytelling, all who create art in the vein of this year’s theme.

Parrtjima Curator and Bundjalung woman Rhoda Roberts AO is set to lead a weaving workshop. Roberts isn’t the only one hosting workshops, with other highlights including Muruwari musician DOBBY leading a drumming workshop and language holder and ecologist Veronica Perrule Dobson delivering insights into medicinal properties of native plants in Aboriginal healing.

Arrernte filmmaker and producer Rachel Perkins will take part in a thought-provoking talk alongside reclamation expert Michael Liddle, while Troy Cassar-Daley is set to participate in a conversation with community leader and advocate Armani Francois and ABC Radio National’s Rudi Bremer.

Rhoda Roberts AO said of this year’s event, “More than ever, this year we all need to experience Parrtjima, as the festival continues to shine new light on age-old traditions and fresh expressions. Echoing the legacy of culture and the stories that connect us all across time. Come and feel the red earth beneath your feet as you look up at the magic that is Arrernte country as we illuminate the majestic MacDonnell Ranges.”

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