The award-winning Aboriginal-led festival, Parrtjima, returns for its 11th year to Mparntwe/Alice Springs in April, with a dynamic, vibrant program.
Held on Arrernte Country, the free, all-ages festival continues to honour the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.
This year’s theme, Language, invites visitors to experience how knowledge is carried, spoken, sung, painted and passed down across generations.
More than 36 First Nations artists and over 50 performers and special guests will feature across the 10-night program with the incredible Tjoritja/MacDonnell Ranges as its 300-million-year-old backdrop.
Image: ParrtjimaMajor installations explore language as living knowledge
Among the headline works is The Language of Soaks by Corban Clause Williams, inspired by Kaalpa (Canning Stock Route Well 23).
The large-scale installation reflects on desert waterholes as lifeblood, sustaining people, animals and culture for millennia.
The Language of Goolarrgon Bard by Darrell Sibosado translates carved Kimberley design into immersive illuminated forms, honouring ancient trade routes and affirming his identity as a Bardman connected to Goolarrgon Country.
From Mutitjulu, senior Anangu custodian Reggie Uluru presents The Language of Wati Ngintaka (Perentie Lizard Man).
An immersive sculptural experience combining light and sound to carry forward ancestral narrative and moral teachings.
Meanwhile, Arrernte Voices places interactive language stations throughout the site.
Allowing visitors to activate Arrernte words through touch, light and sound, reinforcing language as living, present knowledge.
Image: ParrtjimaWorkshops, bush foods and hands-on culture
Beyond the light installations, Parrtjima expands it’s program in 2026 with workshops and demonstrations everyone can get in to. Highlights include:
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Flavours of Country and The Art of Native Spice with bush food expert Rayleen Brown
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Creature Makers soft sculpture workshops with Yarrenyty Arltere Artists
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Clay Stories with Hermannsburg Potters exploring Western Aranda culture
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Say it in Arrernte!, a family-friendly language session presented by Children’s Ground
Markets will return on opening weekend, along with the new outdoor Dome, a dedicated space for reflection through film and animation.
Visitors can also book curated ticketed experiences throughout the festival.
Discover earthly delights at the Merne Mwerre Bushfood Experience or discover your inner artist with Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre’s watercolour masterclass.
For a fully immersive and cultural sunset dinner experience, join Desert at Dusk at Alice Springs Desert Park.
Image: ParrtjimaMusic and community
Festival favourites, including Grounded and the signature Ranges Light Show, will once again animate the mountains, reimagined for 2026.
The free live music lineup features Electric Fields, 3%, BARKAA, Drifting Clouds and Emma Donovan.
Tourism and Events NT CEO Suzana Bishop said Parrtjima offers an opportunity to connect deeply with culture in a way that lingers long after the lights fade.
Visitors are also encouraged to explore the broader Red Centre, including road trips between Mparntwe, Uluru and Kings Canyon.
Parrtjima returns to Mparntwe (Alice Springs) from 10–19 April.
Free registration and program details are available at parrtjima.com.au.
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