Best Northern Territory festivals
Beer Can Regatta, Henley-On-Todd, Alice Beanies & Darwin Seafood
Some of the best (and strangest) Australian events take place in the NT, whether it's eating crocodile, dry river rowing, hat making, or sinking in the Arafura Sea.
Some of the best Australian events are in the Northern Territory, whether you're into shellfish, eating crocodile, hat making, rowing on dry rivers or sinking into the Arafura Sea on a raft of VB tinnies. These festivals include the arty Alice Springs Beanie Festival, the tasty Darwin Seafood Festival and the downright strange Beer Can and Henley-on-Todd regattas.
Australian Events: Northern Territory festivals – Beer Can Regatta, Darwin, Australia
In what is an utterly see-through attempt to justify drinking cans of XXXX or tinnies of VB all year round, the Beer Can Regatta sees budding sailors and shipbuilders take on the Arafura Sea off Darwin’s harbour. The only problem is that all the fine ships and vessels are made entirely out of beer cans, and tied together. Understandably, there are some fabulous impressions of the Titanic during this uniquely Territorian sporting event in July. Good job there aren’t sharks, saltwater crocodiles and box jellyfish around, huh? Oh…
Australian Events: Northern Territory festivals – Henley-On-Todd Regatta, Alice Springs, Australia
It the Beer Can Regatta in Darwin seems faintly ludicrous, then the Henley-On-Todd Regatta on Alice Springs’ Todd River is utterly ridiculous. The Todd River is, unsurprisingly for the Red Centre of Central Australia, dry. This means that the ‘rowers’ end up running, surrounded by the shell of a boat or canoe, over the dry river bed. A bit like a Flintstones car, really. The Henley-On-Todd Regatta takes place in August, with competitors and spectators alike getting in the spirit of things with a good old-fashioned drinking session throughout the day of the races.
Australian Events: Northern Territory festivals – Alice Springs Beanie Festival, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
At the end of June and beginning of July, Alice Springs hosts the Beanie Festival, which is a celebration of the Beanie hat. It may seem rather bizarre, but there is a serious side. The event encourages creativity amongst Aboriginal artists and non-Aboriginal designers, encouraging co-operation and integration between the two. This makes for an awful lot of rather colourful hats, as the artists and designers pour their imagination onto a somewhat unusual canvas.
Australian Events: Northern Territory festivals – Darwin Seafood Festival, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
The waters off and in the Northern Territory are home to some of the best seafood in the world, and this is celebrated at the Darwin Seafood Festival. Some of Australia’s best chefs prepare delicious treats, taking everything in from mackerel, prawns and barramundi to crocodile and mud crabs. The Darwin Seafood Festival takes place in June, and those who love the fruits of the ocean and the rivers should be in dreamland.
