The dates for the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA) for 2022 have been announced bringing the award-winning event forward by a month to take full advantage of Townsville’s perfect winter events season.
During the past few years Townsville has well and truly secured its position as the arts and cultural capital of Northern Australia with a bustling schedule of events year round.
At its meeting last week Council voted to run NAFA from Friday June 10 to Sunday July 10 next year to leverage other events and attractions to the city during the same period.
In the winter months Townsville welcomes Supercars, Ephemera sculptures by the sea, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Townsville Running Festival and the Townsville Cup.
Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-Maree Greaney said the date change would provide a more immersive experience for locals and visitors.
“Townsville is proud of our diverse events culture, and welcoming such diverse and high calibre events each winter is a huge boon for our lifestyle economy,” Cr Greaney said.
“As we continue to grow Townsville into the epicentre for arts, culture and adventure experiences in the north, we need to ensure we are managing the activity in a way that delivers the most benefit for local businesses, community and visitors.
“That’s why Council has voted to move NAFA forward by three weeks to guarantee a more immersive experience of what the city offers at this time of the year.”
She said the move was also expected to maximise visitor spend with the even spread of events across the busy three-month peak season.
“It’s no secret that Townsville’s winter is absolutely stunning, with fresh days, gorgeous nights and sunshine almost guaranteed each day,” she said
“By pulling NAFA forward in our schedule we are able to make the most of our wintertime and attract even more people to the city to enjoy what we have to offer.”
Cr Greaney said NAFA had grown from strength to strength since its inception just three years ago.
“NAFA is a unique event in Northern Australia – there’s nothing else quite like it. Council is proud to bring this award-winning event back annually and we are thrilled with how well the month-long event has performed despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic during the last two years,” she said.
“As performers across the country find their feet again following the COVID-driven disruptions to their industry I’m confident that we’ll deliver an even more awe-inspiring NAFA in 2022.”
