What's on in Darwin, Australia through the year

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Summer holidays in Australia

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May)

Peak crowds — Mindil Beach night market season, Autumn / Easter break in Australia

• Opening

  Mindil Beach night market season

  25 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

  The Thursday and Sunday market on Mindil Beach runs from the last Thursday in April to the last Thursday in October and shuts for the wet. Everyone eats standing up on the sand and turns to face the sunset at once. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May)

Peak crowds — Mindil Beach night market season, Dry season

• Season

  Dry season

  1 May – 30 SepCrowdedBook early

  From May the air dries out, the outdoor cinema and the markets run, and the town fills with southerners and grey nomads. It is the only stretch of the year when Darwin is expensive.

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May)

Peak crowds — Mindil Beach night market season, Dry season

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (1 May – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Mindil Beach night market season

• Holiday

  Territory Day

  1 JulNational holidayCrowded

  1 July marks self-government in 1978, and it is the one night of the year the public can legally set off their own fireworks. The whole harbour goes up at dusk and the fire service spends the evening flat out. Source ↗

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (1 May – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Mindil Beach night market season

• Festival

  Darwin Festival

  5–23 AugMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Eighteen days of theatre, comedy and music, most of it outdoors in the Botanic Gardens under deckchairs and fairy lights. It lands in the best weather of the year, so flights and beds go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (1 May – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — Mindil Beach night market season, Dry season

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (1 May – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — Mindil Beach night market season, Spring break in Australia

• Hazard

  Box jellyfish season

  1 Oct – 31 MayInsect season

  From October to May the beaches and tidal creeks carry box jellyfish and the official line is simply to stay out of the sea. The city swims in the wave lagoon at the Waterfront instead, all year. Source ↗

• Season

  The build-up

  1 Oct – 15 Dec · usuallyExtreme heat

  Locals call the weeks before the rains the build-up: still, heavy air and thunderheads that stack up every afternoon without delivering. Tempers go, tourists leave, and the lightning over the harbour is the compensation.

Still on: Mindil Beach night market season (25 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May), The build-up (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Australia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Box jellyfish season (1 Oct – 31 May), The build-up (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually))