Australia’s Aboriginal light festival Parrtjima has wrapped up its seventh successful year, with plans to return from April 7-16, 2023.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light 2022, delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) and produced by Creative Directors AGB Events, took place from 8-17 April at Alice Springs Desert Park and Araluen Arts Centre. It attracted more than 23,000 attendances under the theme ‘Sky Country’, Parrtjima.
“Over the years Parrtjima has continued to develop and grow, offering more and more reasons for people to visit the Red Centre from all corners of Australia,” said NTMEC CEO, Tim Watsford.
“More interstate visitors is great news for the local economy, with flow-on effects felt across multiple sectors. In a year where everything is opening up again, and more and more events are taking place across Australia, it also shows Parrtjima can hold its own among the best in the country, and is something of a standout.”
A celebration of thousands of years of culture, Parrtjima is the only Aboriginal light festival of its kind in the world. It was named Best Regional Event at the 2021 Australian Event Awards.
The festival included the light show on the MacDonnell Ranges, large-scale light installations developed from Aboriginal artworks, as well as live music from King Stingray, Dan Sultan, BARKAA and more.
This year’s event included exclusive Parrtjima experiences, such as a special Preview Night, Araluen Art Centre tours, Merne bushfood tours and a nocturnal tour at Alice Springs Desert Park, which were offered as part of interstate Travel Associate packages.