Darwin Festival promoted at airport by Grammy Award winning choir

Travellers to the Top End were greeted by a DJ, circus act, and a Grammy Award-winning choir.

Three-time Grammy Award winner Soweto Gospel Choir performing at the Darwin International Airport in promotion of the Darwin Festival.

Interstate travellers waited for their baggage to entertainment from an African tribal choir, a daring circus act routine, and a vibrant DJ at the arrivals terminal on Friday.

The performances included three-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, and circus group, Gravity and Other Myths.

Executive general manager of the Airport Development Group, Selwyn D’Souza, said the “magical” performances were organised in support of sponsored event, the Darwin Festival, which began on Thursday.

“Many of (the arrivals) are probably coming to the festival,” Mr D’Souza said.

“But if they’re not we’re hoping to change their mind.”

Mr D’Souza said he believed the Darwin Festival would continue to be supported into the future.

“We’ve been a major sponsor (of the Darwin Festival) for a while now and we will continue to be,” Mr D’Souza said.

“We have a strong role to play in tourism so (we) would like to make life better coming in and out of (Darwin).”

South African-based Soweto Gospel Choir is one of dozens of groups to descend upon the Top End this month, with various performing artists to take centre stage at the festival in coming weeks.

Mr D’Souza said he believed more could be done to attract visitors to the Territory, including a possible wet season event.

“We should put on more events like this and in fact that’s what we plan to do,” he said.

“We’re working actively to try and bring people to the Territory more by investing in activities like this.”

The Darwin Festival will run from August 10 – 27.