Kindness Festival 2025: Fireworks, food, festivities ahead for mammoth Darwin cultural festival

Kindness has never been more important – and this weekend it will be celebrated at the Darwin Waterfront with a spectacular display of cultural traditions.

The annual Kindness Festival will return to Darwin Waterfront on June 28, 2025. Picture: Kindness Shake

Kindness has never been more important – and this weekend it will be celebrated at the Darwin Waterfront with a spectacular display of cultural traditions.

Chairman of organisation Kindness Shake, Sushan Khatiwada, said turnout at the fifth annual Kindness Festival on June 28 was expected to peak between 8,000 to 10,000 attendees.

In the 2024 iteration of the festival, 7,000 people joined in the fun.

Mr Khatiwada said the festival was started during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and has since become the “biggest multicultural festival” in the Territory.

The annual Kindness Festival will return to Darwin Waterfront on June 28, 2025. Picture: Kindness Shake

“This year we want to bring 25 performances from 25 countries,” Mr Khatiwada said.

“We have about seven international cuisine food stalls, 25 community stalls from different association sin Darwin that will come here and wear their dress, bring their cultures to the Waterfront and put a stall up here.”

Different cultures will be showcased and celebrated at the event. Picture: Kindness Shake

There will be plenty of things to do for attendees, including 11 games and activities for children and their families.

A range of performances, music and dances will also be showcased.

Festivities will kick off from 4pm, with the event culminating in a fireworks display at 9pm.

Food options include but are not limited to, Nepalese, Colombian, Thai, and Indian food.

Mr Khatiwada said he was proud of the event’s growth in recent years.

“It is run completely by international students and volunteers … they bring a lot to the Northern Territory in terms of diversity and that is what we want to celebrate at the festival,” he said.

Originally published as Kindness Festival 2025: Fireworks, food, festivities ahead for mammoth Darwin cultural festival