About Desert Festival

Celebrating the Creative Heart of Central Australia Since 2001

Desert Festival is Central Australia’s flagship multi-arts event, proudly produced by Red Hot Arts Central Australia. Held annually in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, it features bold, original work across music, theatre, dance, visual arts, immersive experiences, workshops, storytelling and more.

Known for its inclusive programming, local focus, and vibrant energy, Desert Festival brings together regional and interstate artists in one of the most remote — and creatively rich — places in the country. Over two decades, it has grown from a grassroots gathering into an award-winning cultural force that continues to evolve with its community and connect people through the power of art.

Our Story

Desert Festival (also known as Desfest) began in 2001 as the Alice Springs Festival — Central Australia’s first major multi-arts and cultural celebration. It was founded by local creatives and community members who saw the need for a platform that could unify events, elevate regional talent, and reflect the Northern Territory’s unique cultural voice.

Over time, Desert Festival has become a launchpad for major events like Bush Bands Bash and Desert Song Festival, and a vital space for First Nations storytellers, emerging artists and independent creatives.

In 2025, Desert Festival will trial a new fringe-style format, encouraging broader participation from artists, venues and community groups while building a more sustainable model.

Creating art in the desert is no small feat..

With limited resources, extreme distances, and geographic isolation — we’re three days’ drive from the nearest capital city — our artists don’t just adapt – they innovate. What emerges here is work that is collaborative, surprising, resourceful and deeply rooted in place.

Where else would you find a ballerina, a scientist, a hip hop artist and a synth DJ creating a performance together — and doing so in harmony with the arid environment that surrounds them?

This is the magic of Desert Festival. We embrace the quirky, the unconventional, and the innovative.

Creative excellence in the desert looks different. Our works don’t rely on big-city budgets or glossy venues. They are born from the desert, shaped by community, and built on collaboration, trust, and grit.

In Central Australia, our stories and performances are as expansive and layered as the landscape itself. We know the value of what we make here — and we’re proud to share it.

The Festival Today

Now entering its 23rd year, Desert Festival continues to be led by community and guided by a strong purpose:
to centre diverse voices, support emerging and established Central Australian artists, and bring people together through the multi-arts.

In 2025, Desert Festival will trial a new fringe-style format, allowing even more artists, venues, and community groups to participate in shaping the program. This change is a response to both local feedback and the shifting realities of the arts landscape — ensuring the festival remains sustainable, accessible, and community-driven for years to come.

This year’s theme is Home — a celebration of identity, belonging, and place, expressed through performance, music, dance, storytelling, visual arts and more.

Our Impact

  • 80% of our program features local artists
  • Our audience includes locals, visitors, and tourists from around the country
  • We partner with a wide network of community organisations, arts bodies, and local businesses
  • We offer pathways for artist development through our Project Seed initiative
  • We champion inclusion across First Nations, LGBTQIA+, CALD, disability, youth and women’s communities
  • We reinvest profits into future festivals and the Central Australian arts sector
  • In 2023 alone, the festival employed 140 artists and paid over $45,000 to local contractors

Desert Festival has helped launch careers, foster collectives, and create ripple effects throughout the arts sector. Projects developed through the festival have gone on to tour, win awards, and inspire new cultural initiatives across the Territory.

While the festival faces ongoing funding challenges, its heart remains strong:
To be a space where local stories shine, and the creative spirit of Central Australia is celebrated — year after year.

Desert Festival plays a vital role in amplifying local voices and connecting communities through the arts. It champions inclusion and celebrates creative expression across:

  • First Nations storytelling
  • LGBTIQA+ inclusion
  • Youth engagement
  • People with disability
  • CALD communities
  • Women in the arts

Our program spans music, theatre, dance, comedy, visual arts, storytelling and more — from powerful headline acts to grassroots community performances.

Desert Festival also creates pathways for artist development, mentoring, and capacity building. Through partnerships with organisations like MusicNT, 8CCC, Incite Arts, Artback NT, CAAMA, Araluen Arts Centre and others, we foster meaningful collaboration, sector growth, and local employment.