From horses to rock stars and ruckmen: here’s all the details for this weekend’s events

FROM bull riding, to bands and a bit of footy banter, Darwin is turning up the heat on dry season events this weekend. We have your weekend socials covered, read here.

FROM bull riding, to bands and a bit of footy banter, Darwin is turning up the heat on dry season events this weekend.

Saturday night promises to be a ripper in the Top End events calendar, we’ve got all the details for you below.

TOP END RODEO: NOONAMAH TAVERN RODEO, SATURDAY, MAY 28

ROMANCE at Noonamah Tavern Rodeo is not what most people dust off the town boots and whip out the hats for.

However, for bullrider Rhys Simpson it was his reason for mounting a bucking beast.

At just 15 he mounted his first bull in pursuit of winning over his high school crush.

“It didn’t go too well to be honest,” he said.

However, after winning the novice event at Noonamah Rodeo in 2021, and a sneaky text, the couple is now preparing for their first child.

Noonamah Rodeo Rider

Due any day, Rhys could have an extra special fan waiting in the wings on Saturday night as he takes on tough interstate competition.

“There are a lot of people coming up from down south, so the competition will be tough but I’ll do my best to hook in and give it a real crack.”

For those who want to pack the kids and tent, event organisers promise something for everyone,

Noonamah Tavern events manager Spokz Wheeler said tickets were selling out and expected the last few hundred to be gone before Friday.

“It’s going to be a great night, we’ve got bucking bulls, saddled broncos, freestyle motocross and live band at the end,” he said.

“We have got some potty (name for a calf) rides for the kids; its great seeing the little kids having a crack.”

Free camping is available at the tavern and as always the night promises to be one of a kind in the Top End events calendar.

FOOTY FEVER: TIO STADIUM, SATURDAY, 28 MAY

Gold Coast Suns will take on Hawthorn in the first of two Top End AFL matches at Darwin’s TIO Stadium.

For the players it will be a mix of facing each other and of facing the heat but for an AFL-starved Darwin audience the match is sure to be a spectacle.

It’s an exciting time for both sides with the Suns looking impressive against 2020 finalists Western Bulldogs and the Hawks beating current second place Brisbane in round 10.

And there’s no more important game for the Territory to host than the Sir Doug Nicholls round celebrating Indigenous football and culture.

Most exciting for many Territorians will be the chance to see Darwin products Joel Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas Jr run out in Suns’ colours at TIO Stadium for the very first time.

“Darwin is a very cultural place and it’s pretty special for us all to be playing this round there,” Rosas Jr said.

“Last year was a bit of downfall in that we didn’t get to play up there, but knowing I will get the chance to play in front of family and friends has me very keen.

“The belief is there, we just need to go up another level. This is just the beginning for us and we’re very confident and we trust we can get the job done in Darwin.”

Hawthorn on the other hand have a number of players who haven’t been to Darwin, such as 2018 Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell, keen to soak in the atmosphere.

“We’re super excited. From a footy point of view it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere and as someone who’s never been to Darwin this will be a great, new experience,” Mitchell said.

“The club will have some things organised for fans, we’re not sure what to expect in Darwin but we are looking forward to it.

“The weather is the obvious thing we need to adapt to, you can’t really replicate it in Melbourne.”

SOUL MUSIC: THE GARDENS, SATURDAY, 28 MAY

DUAL headlining acts, Missy Higgins and ICEHOUSE will rock out the Darwin amphitheatre as their Great Southern Land 2022 tour reaches the Top End.

Icehouse’s biggest member of their back catalogue turns the big 4-0 this year but Iva Davies admits the tour’s namesake, his original single, still remains a bit of a mystery to him, all these years after.

Like other unofficial national anthems it’s become tightly knitted within the social fabric of the country it so powerfully captures.

But Davies thought for many, many years after it’s release, he’d be best known for 1987 number one hit Electric Blue instead.

Supplied Editorial Adelaide Festival 2022. ICEHOUSE. Picture: Supplied by Adelaide Festival

Icehouse’s classic rock songs will be in stark contrast to the soulful sounds of Missy Higgins, who will no doubt bring classics like Scar, Two of Us and The Special Two.

She is also guaranteed to feature some fresh work from a recently released mini-album called Total Control.

The six track release features instrumental fragments from her work on the Australian TV series, also called Total Control.

Territory superstar Emily Wurramara will return to the stage alongside Aussie classics Eskimo Joe.

The open air concert encourages all ages to pack a picnic, roll out the rug and enjoy some of Australia’s most acclaimed artists set against a Territory sinking sunset.

Tickets are still on sale through Ticketmaster.