Dinah Beach yacht club fires up for Viking funeral fun

Dinah Beach yacht club will host its annual Viking funeral this weekend. Read why it’s significant.

Bring out the battle-axe and hire a horned helmet — Darwin’s Dinah Beach yacht club is muscling up to host its annual Viking funeral on Saturday.

Kicking off with a roar at 5pm, the funeral and traditional burning of the boat attracts hundreds to Dinah Beach every year, with the iconic event captivating Viking fans for the past 30 years.

Located on the banks of the harbour near Frances Bay Drive, the open-air Dinah Beach venue and its salty marine atmosphere are perfect for a night of Viking revelry.

Every year the club goes all out to appease the Viking gods with additional bars, food stalls and extra seating.

The traditional boat burning is an annual event. Picture: Supplied

This year local band The Fame Junkies will perform, and there’ll be Viking-style stand-in photo booths, Nordic face painting for adults and kids, a merch tent with 10 different Viking helmet styles as well as jewellery and tankards.

The line-up includes a ‘Most Likely Viking’ costume competition for junior Vikings at 7.15pm and again later in the night for warriors and wenches.

Darwin and Districts Pipes and Drums band will perform and as part of the tradition, the Top End Bow Hunters will ignite a life-size tribute boat, built by club volunteers, with flaming arrows.

Behind the Viking atmosphere, the event has a serious side.

Dinah Beach yacht club general manager Wendy McCallum said the event was a tribute to vessels now decommissioned and to sailors who have died and unable to attend their ships.

The event can only be held on a night of evening high tide, so the vessel will float in the

channel.

“The efforts people put in to theme up is awesome,” she said.

“The Viking funeral brings out some of the best badass costumes you will see all year and it really adds to the ambience of the night.”