Parrtjima 2025 will feature four stunning new installations by award-winning and emerging Aboriginal artists that celebrate cultural continuity and storytelling, all inspired by this year’s festival theme, ‘Timelessness’.

Three Generations of Station Women by Balanggarra and Yolŋu artist Molly Hunt pays tribute to the resilience and strength of three generations of Aboriginal stockwomen in an animated comic strip. This cinematic experience will be enriched and enhanced by an original soundtrack composed by Australian actor Mark Coles Smith.

Hypnotic Reverberations will immerse visitors in Bobby West’s Tjupurrula’s Country, where beams of light dance through mist and reflect across a shallow pool, forming ever-shifting dreamscapes that evoke the spirit of the land. Bobby West Tjupurrula won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2011 and is son of Freddy West Tjupurrula, one of the original shareholders of Papunya Tula Artists.

Transforming Light & Country invites festivalgoers to engage with Lyall Giles’ intricate sand dune patterns. By activating drums, guests will trigger dynamic rings of light and immersive natural soundscapes, highlighting the deep connection between ancient landforms and life-giving waterholes. Giles, an exciting and dynamic artist, is the most senior wati (man) in Tjukurla and is entrusted with preserving a vast library of stories in his head. Though he has shared these stories for many years, it is only recently that he has begun painting them.

At the festival’s entrance, The Gateway will stand as a powerful welcome, featuring towering poles created collaboratively by artists from Alice Springs’ three estate groups – Antulye, Irlpme, and Mparntwe.

Festival favourites Grounded and the MacDonnell Ranges Light Show will make their highly anticipated returns in 2025. The MacDonnell Ranges Light Show will offer a breathtaking fusion of contemporary classical music and Arrernte language, paying tribute to the deep spiritual connection to the land. Meanwhile, Grounded will captivate audiences with a large-scale projection, where six striking Indigenous artworks transform the red earth into a luminous, ever-shifting canvas beneath visitors’ feet.

Interactive and immersive workshops

Parrtjima 2025 will present an exciting lineup of interactive workshops, offering festival goers a unique opportunity to engage with diverse cultural traditions and artistic expressions.

Highlights include a watercolour painting session with local art centre Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands, where participants can explore the renowned Hermannsburg style made famous by Central Australian Aboriginal art legend, Albert Namatjira. Parrtjima Curator and Bundjalung woman Rhoda Roberts AO will lead a weaving workshop, while Muruwari musician Dobby will lead a high-energy drumming workshop, blending traditional Indigenous beats with contemporary percussion.

Bushfoods and traditional recipes will be the focus of a special session with Rayleen Brown (Kungkas Can Cook) and Bundjalung chef Mark Olive (Midden by Mark Olive, Sydney Opera House), while renowned language holder and ecologist Veronica Perrule Dobson will share insights into the medicinal properties of native plants in Aboriginal healing.

Thought-provoking talks

Parrtjima 2025 will feature a compelling series of talks and ‘in conversation’ sessions with some of Australia’s most influential Indigenous voices. Covering a diverse range of topics – including the power of media, music, art, and communication, as well as cultural economies and pathways to change – these discussions will offer deep insights and inspiration.

From the fusion of tradition and technology to the power of radio and rap as modern tools for connection, these sessions will challenge perspectives and celebrate the enduring strength of First Nations voices. Conversations will delve into the ways creativity shapes identity, the responsibility of cultural custodianship, and how storytelling continues to drive change—whether through country music, cinema, or the painted lines of an artwork.

Notable guests and speakers include Arrernte filmmakers and producer Rachel Perkins, along with kinship, language, and cultural reclamation expert Michael Liddle.  Community leaders and advocate Armani Francois will also take the stage, along with ABC Radio National’s Rudi Bremer and Australian country music legend Troy Cassar-Daley.

Music, comedy and markets

Parrtjima 2025 will feature nightly live performances and special comedy acts. The festival’s opening weekend will see Troy Cassar-Daley take the stage to perform his only free performance announced for the remainder of 2025, and his only free gig scheduled for 2025 in Outback Australia.

The festival’s closing weekend will feature an historic, ticketed performance by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra – marking the first orchestral performance in Parrtjima’s history. The unforgettable open-air event will immerse audiences in a stunning fusion of music and light as the 50+ piece orchestra plays alongside acclaimed Desert Divas Catherine Satour, Casii Williams, and Bronwyn Stuart.

Other musical highlights include singer-songwriter Bumpy, hip-hop group Dem Mob, and Warren H Williams & Western Wind.

The festival’s first-ever comedy night, set for Thursday, 10 April 2025, will deliver plenty of laughs with stand-up performances by Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra.

Festivalgoers can also look forward to the return of the Blak Markets during Parrtjima’s opening weekend. This collaboration between Desart and the NT Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN) provides a unique opportunity to explore and ethically purchase First Nations creations, from paintings and jewellery to woodwork, prints, baskets, sculptures, and handcrafted pieces from Central Australian art centres and businesses.

Click here for more program details.