Parrtjima — A Festival in Light Has Revealed the Full Lineup That'll Dazzle Alice Springs This Autumn

After dropping its music program for 2023 in late February, Alice Springs' luminous Parrtjima — A Festival In Light has unveiled the full lineup of installations, tunes, talks and more that'll be lighting up the Red Centre come April. On the bill: informative discussions, impressive flicks and must-try workshops, all in stunning surroundings.

Some events are worth locking into your diary regardless of who's playing and what's brightening up the place, of course, and this fest is one of them. The Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling festival just might be Australia's most luminous event, as attendees will learn when it returns from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16.

2023's focus: 'Listening with Heart'. That's what this year's light-heavy installations, which were announced late in 2022, will focus on. Parrtjima's theme is inspired by the artwork surrounding the Statement from the Heart, with that piece depicting Uluru-Ku Tjukurrpa, the Uluru story of connection, as created by a group of artists from Multijulu as led by Maruku artist Rene Kulitja. So, Kulitja will work with other of artists for Parrtjima to turn the Statement from the Heart artwork into a large-scale immersive light and sound installation.

That means that Parrtjima attendees will find themselves plunged in the world of the Aṉangu people of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands surrounding Uluru. The idea is to feature ancient songlines, plus Indigenous viewpoints on Country, as well as connecting to First Peoples' strong links with the land, water and sky.

Two things that are also on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attractions, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park.

As for the music program, it overflows with First Nations talent, including Docker River Band, Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara, JK-47, KAIIT, Karnage and Paul Ah Chee. They'll be joined by Radical Son, Richard J Frankland, Discovering Leerpeen Mara, Rowdy Birds, The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and The Merindas across the ten days — and with a range of dazzling backdrops.

The talks lineup features actor Steven Oliver, marathon hero Charlie Maher, media identity Naomi Moran, scientist Corey Tutt, Olympian Nova Peris and more, such as musicians Richard Frankland, KAIIT and Paul Ah Chee — doing double duty on stage and having a chat.

Movie-wise, attendees can look forward to Westwind: Djalu's Legacy, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, Araatika: Rise Up and The Australian Wars. And, the workshops schedule includes dance, art and pottery.

PARRTJIMA — A FESTIVAL IN LIGHT 2023 MUSIC LINEUP:

Docker River Band
Eastern Reggae Band,
Emily Wurramara
JK-47
KAIIT
Karnage (DJ)
Karnage n Darknis
Paul Ah Chee
Radical Son
Richard J Frankland
Discovering Leerpeen Mara
Rowdy Birds (DJ)
The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band
The Merindas

PARRTJIMA — A FESTIVAL IN LIGHT 2023 TALKS LINEUP:

Steven Oliver
Richard J Frankland
Charlie Maher
Naomi Moran
Corey Tutt
Nova Peris
KAIIT
Paul Ah Chee
Rene Kulitja, Charmaine Kulitja and Christine Brumby
Christine Ross and Roxanne Highfold
Dean Parkin and Ursula Raymond

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light will run from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16, 2023 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website.

Images: NTMEC/Parrtjima – A Festival in Light.

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