New youth festival Dusty Streets bringing skating, BMX, art and more to Alice Springs

Billed as ‘more than just an event’, a three-day festival is dropping into the Red Centre capital for the first time. Find out more.

Irish expat LJ Devlin in Alice Springs, March 2025. Picture: Gera Kazakov

A new festival is dropping into Alice Springs, and it’s set to be “more than just an event” when it celebrates the Red Centre capital’s “wild, creative spirit”.

Kicking off on Friday, June 20 – right in time for school holidays – the “Dusty Streets A-Town” festival is bringing a mini ramp to the Todd Mall in Alice Springs and more.

Spread over three days, the festival features free BMX, skateboarding, and art workshops, spread out over the skatepark, the youth centre, and the centre of town.

The festival is the brainchild of Triptic events company managing director LJ Devlin, who said the festival is aiming to be “is a true reflection of A-Town’s wild, creative spirit”.

She said the festival has been in the works for a few years now, with local skateboarding legend and Spinifex Skateboards founder Nicki Hayes and Bikes Mwerre jumping on board.

“There’s no online registrations and no kind of pre-getting in there, just come and register on the day,” she said.

“We’ve got the gear, we’ve got the bikes, we’ve got the skateboards, we’ve got the helmets, we’ve got the pads – we have everything you need there so you can literally just rock up.”

The Todd Mall markets, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

With Alice Springs set to get a new skatepark in December as part of the Newland play precinct upgrade, Ms Devlin has her “fingers crossed” the festival will continue to grow and potentially use the space next year.

But this year, the Todd Mall will be turned into street skate plaza on Friday and Saturday, which will be taken down on Sunday in time for the Todd Mall markets.

A mini ramp, set up on the church lawns, will stay on Sunday for the markets, with all the action moving to the Speed St skatepark for a jam and competition with prizes up for grabs.

Budding pros looking to score can a win on Sunday can also hone their skills at workshops at the skatepark on Friday and Saturday, Ms Devlin said.

Originally published as New youth festival Dusty Streets bringing skating, BMX, art and more to Alice Springs