Alice Springs Desert Festival will feature 30 acts

A STRONG component of local and NT artists will be highlighting the return of the Desert Festival to Alice Springs — after a gap year in 2016 — next month

Jonny Rowden, Franca Barraclough and Ben Fox (the festival artistic director) are excited about the program for the 2017 Desert Festival. PICTURE: Emma Poletti

A STRONG component of local and NT artists will be highlighting the return of the Desert Festival to Alice Springs — after a gap year in 2016 — next month.

Among the acts at this year’s Desert Festival will be the Alice Springs Pop Choir, Resin Moon, Jeanette Wormald, Colin Lillie, Karnage n Darknis, Katie Harder and the Artful Dodgers and the Tjupi Band.

The Desert Gardens will feature desert styles and ideas in an interactive program showcasing desert lifestyles, including a wearable arts retrospective, live art in public spaces, social change hairdressing, bush food workshops, and desert reggae.

Festival artistic director Ben Fox said there were 30 acts performing over three weeks from August 18 to September 7.

“We have some fantastic partnerships with the community,” he said.

“The festival is designed to offer different entry points for diverse audiences. The program features performances, visual arts, music, film and more with visiting artists and projects offering global perspectives.

“It will begin with the Mermaids’ Picnic, in conjunction with the Henley-on-Todd, in Snow Kenna Park. There will be live music, dress up and a lot of fun.

“We will set up The Desert Gardens, which will be beating heart of the festival, in the vacant block across Todd St from the civic centre lawns.

“This will be a pop-up venue created from a completely transformed carpark.”