The Dreaming Festival

Thousands of Indigenous Australians have come to this camping ground of Woodford, a small town in Queensland, Australia, for a festival called The Dreaming Festival. During three days and three night of the long weekend of June every year, they have come to celebrate the event.

The Festival has brought more than 850 artists from various disciplines together. Be it dance, music comedy, film, theatre, painting, and craft. It sounds so different but yet everyone is presenting indigenous art from Australia and all parts of the world. The festival has several stages with tight schedule. Some of the performances are done in the woods and bushes inside 200 hectares camping ground. The concept is quite similar with Woodstock Festival in Woodstock, New York. Only, it offers more than just music.

During the festival, famous dance groups from all over Australia and other parts of the world perform here. Groups such as Djilpin, Doonooch, Rikina Inma, Miwatj, Jtanpi are well-known for they often represent Aborigine culture around the world. Djilpin is a group from Wugularr (Beswick), Northern Territory, about 420 kilometers from Darwin, close to Nitimiluk National Park. Djilpin presents a dance routine called “The Black Crow and Sugarbag Fly”. Miwatj, group that consists of dancers from Yolngu clan of Arnhem Land Northern Territory also takes part in this festival. Besides performing, these groups give dance workshop. Visitors love to get dancing lesson from them.