Why should young people come to the Darwin Festival?

It’s 2009.  We’ve said “So long!” to Bass in the Grass, “Adios!” to Pure Sounds and The Big Gig and now its time to gear up for the biggest music and arts festival yet, The Darwin Festival!  Every year an array of musicians, dancers, actors and visual artists from around the globe make their way to the Top End and this year we are in for a real treat.

Whilst thumbing this year’s programme I noticed 3 things:

1. It’s a good deal meatier than last year, there’s much more to see this August.
2. The acts are a lot more diverse, culturally as well as with intended audience, there is a LOT more for young people.
3. I was going to be incredibly broke by the end of this month, the quality of these performers astounds! I want to buy tickets for all of them!

Here at GRIND we are proud to be reporting on this year’s festival and will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the events page, with interviews with performers, and reviews of shows we loved.  Harriet and I had an afternoon chat with the festival’s artistic director Jo Duffy in anticipation of the upcoming cultural feast and we posed one BIG question to her on behalf of you all:

“Why should young people come to the Darwin Festival?”
Her response had us giddy and excited…

“Firstly”, She said “Because it’s the biggest cultural event in Darwin!” Well yeah, thanks Jo, but we had kind of figured that out already.  “Not only that, but we designed much of this year’s programme with young people in mind”….  Wait, really?  That’s awesome!  We had no idea; looking at the programme now though I can see what she meant.  There’s a veritable feast of talent for young people to ogle and boggle at, with tickets to cabaret acts ‘Tiger Lillies’ and ‘Meow Meow’ selling fast, Gothic Marionettes the ‘Grimstones’, Harry Angus from ‘The Cat Empire’, not to mention the spectacular ‘Morganics’ show about Hip Hop culture.  There’s short films for the littlies (9 years and above) and for those of us (myself and Harriet included) who like a bit of a dance there’s a silent disco on for only ten bucks a headset!  Jo was particularly proud of ‘Legal Walls’ a graffiti project showcasing young NT artists’ exploration of graffiti as “a legitimate means of cultural exchange” and there are many more free shows around town featuring a range of mediums that I can’t wait to explore.

Jo also had us grinning when she drew our attention to pricing; this year’s festival has many youth friendly events for much cheaper than usual and she told us it was specifically so that young people (on a tight budget as we are) can go to the festival!  Let’s all give Ms Duffy hugs I say, for fifteen dollar live music!  Not only that, but the Festival will be using our beloved Garden’s Amphitheatre a lot more than in past years as well as a brand-spanking-new venue ‘the lighthouse’ which Jo described as being “like a big top tent, only without the roof”, interesting description, but it will make for an intimate and fun new setting and is a major drawing card for this year’s festival which will be central to the Darwin CBD and Civic Park.

Personally, I can’t wait for this festival; I’ve already got my rather impressive pile of tickets and will be living off 20c noodles for the next two weeks because of it.  I hope to see you all there, look for me at the teddy bears picnic; I’ll be the fairy with the pink and green hair!

For more information about the festival and booking tickets you can pick up a copy of the programme at any library or tourist centre, check out their website www.darwinfestival.org.au or call 89434200