Here's How First Nations Arts Celebration 'Parrtjima — A Festival in Light' Is Dazzling the Red Centre in 2025
This is the tenth time that this Indigenous festival has lit up Alice Springs Desert Park, with the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges as a backdrop.
When Parrtjima — A Festival in Light announced its 2025 program, the numbers were impressive, with the event's tenth edition featuring works by 20-plus First Nations artists, plus more than 100 performers and special guests. But nothing sells this Australian celebration of Indigenous arts more than the spectacular end results each year, when the fest lights up the Northern Territory. For 2025, that time is now, and it's once again a dazzling sight to behold.
Parrtjima — A Festival in Light has so firmly established itself as a highlight of Alice Springs, the Red Centre and Australia's cultural scene that it's hard to imagine a time before it. Getting a 2.5-kilometre stretch of 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges glowing every evening is the reliable star of the show; however, that's just the beginning. Heading along this year also means being welcomed by The Gateway at Parrtjima's entrance, for instance, where towering poles by artists from Antulye, Irlpme, and Mparntwe groups are greeting guests.
Also, Balanggarra and Yolŋu artist Molly Hunt's Three Generations of Station Women is an animated comic strip that honours Aboriginal stockwomen, with actor Mark Coles Smith (Apple Cider Vinegar) on soundtrack duties. Then there's Bobby West Tjupurrula's Hypnotic Reverberations, creating a moving dreamscape out of beams of light, mist and reflections on a shallow pool. From Lyall Giles, Transforming Light & Country isn't just about sand dune patterns — it gets festivalgoers playing with them, using drums to create rings of light.
2025's Parrtjima kicked off on Friday, April 4, and runs until Sunday, April 13. The MacDonnell Ranges Light Show is among past favourites on the bill, again pairing its eye-catching display with classical music and Arrernte language. Another: Grounded, asking attendees to look down instead of up. A festival of lights in the NT was always going to incorporate the red earth, too, which is where large-scale projections turn the soil into a canvas. This year's version features six artworks.
Budgerigar Dreaming Ngatijirri Jukurrpa is also back, using shapes from Wirliyajarrayi artist Myra Nungarrayi Herbert Patrick's paintings in neon-hued abstract bird sculptures — and so is Johnny Young and David Wallace's four-metre-tall The Language of Stockmen.
While the fest's first weekend has been and gone, the program still has the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to come, in what'll be Parrtjima's first-ever orchestral performance. Gigs by Dem Mob, Dobby, Desert Divas and Warren H Williams & Western Wind are also part of the upcoming lineup, as is the festival's debut comedy night, with Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra sparking laughs.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until Sunday, April 13, 2025, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website.
Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light / Che-Chorley.
Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
- Eight Unexpected Natural Wonders to Visit Around Victoria
- Hop to It: 16 Classic and Eclectic Films You Can Stream This Easter Long Weekend
- Ten 2025 Oscar-Winning Films That You Can and Should Watch Immediately
- Predicting the Oscars: Who Should, Could and Will Win at the 2025 Academy Awards
- Here's Where You Can Watch 33 of 2025's Oscar-Nominated Movies in Australia Right Now
- Ten of the Most-Unique and Relaxing Stays You Can Book Around Auckland