The North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA) is preparing to transition out of Townsville City Council and into an independently run event in 2025 following five highly successful years of events across the city.
NAFA was first presented in 2019 and is now a three-time Australian Event Award winner. In 2024 alone, the NAFA Festival generated over $23m in economic impact for the Townsville region and welcomed more than 60,000 attendees.
Acting Mayor Paul Jacob said NAFA had been designed to move to an independent event after its incubation period at Council.
“We’re proud of the great work the NAFA team has done since 2019 to deliver a world-class art festival in Townsville. This work has helped Council move towards its goal of growing Townsville into a sustainable destination that participates in the arts and supports culture,” Cr Jacob said.
NAFA will become an independent body in 2025, with its festival running from 19 September to 4 October next year.
NAFA’s chief executive officer Lachlan Welsh said the festival would continue to grow local artists’ capabilities and opportunities in 2025.
“NAFA has grown from strength to strength since its inaugural year in 2019, and we’re proud to have been building towards becoming an independent body. Council has provided a much-needed springboard to be able to bring the NAFA vision to life, and the payoff has been well worth it,” Mr Welsh said.
“The NAFA team is dedicated to supporting North Queensland’s arts and culture community, and we’ve seen incredible local artist growth during the past five years of NAFA. We are focused on continuing to build on that momentum into 2025. We’re already looking forward to rolling out a strong festival in 2025 and beyond, continuing to embrace Townsville’s community and its artists as we develop into the future.”
NAFA’s board includes Professor Judith McLean, a North Queensland-born national cultural leader, and Merissa Martinez, a North Queensland born and bred JCU graduate, barrister-at-law and entrepreneur, as co-chairs; traditional owner and owner/director of Wulgurukaba Walkabouts Ashley Saltner Jnr, and Quandamooka artist and deputy chair of Creative Australia Professor Wesley Enoch AM.
Kyle Page, the Artistic Director and co-CEO of Dancenorth, is NAFA’s guest artistic director for NAFA 2024 and 2025.
Mr Page said NAFA was a remarkable celebration of art, community and culture in North Queensland.
“NAFA is an open invitation for friends from afar to bask in the warmth and beauty of this magical region. Held on the ancestral homelands of the Wulgurukaba and Bindal people, NAFA honours the deep cultural heritage of first nations people and communities, Australia’s first dancers, singers and storytellers. This milestone marks a new chapter for NAFA, the creative heartbeat of Gurambilbarra / Townsville, ensuring it not only endures but grows stronger, resonating with vibrancy and vitality far into the future,” Mr Page said.
