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Speaker 1: Now I tell you what.

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Speaker 2: The full program has been unveiled for one of the

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Speaker 2: top end's biggest events on the dry season calendar, the

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Speaker 2: Darwin Festival. It features seven hundred and thirty four artists

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Speaker 2: four hundred and two thought provoking, in entertaining performances across

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Speaker 2: a record fifty venues from August seven to twenty four.

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Speaker 2: And joining me in the studio to break it all

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Speaker 2: down is the Darwin Festival's Artistic Director, Kate Fell.

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Speaker 1: Good morning, Kate, Good morning, Katie. Goods for here.

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Speaker 2: Wonderful to see you and we know that when we

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Speaker 2: start seeing you around the studios that it is party time.

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Speaker 1: You can feel it in the air, can't you. You

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Speaker 1: really can.

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Speaker 2: And it's been beautiful weather as well, and we've certainly

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Speaker 2: had a little.

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Speaker 1: Bit of cooler weather.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think we're all very excited. Now tell me,

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Speaker 2: how would you describe this year's program?

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Speaker 3: Oh, this year's program. But the way I'm describing it

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Speaker 3: is that Darwin is the star.

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Speaker 1: Of this year's festival.

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Speaker 3: So we've got events, as you said in fifty VENs,

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Speaker 3: all across Darwin and Palmerston and it's all about making

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Speaker 3: the most of this beautiful place.

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Speaker 1: At an amazing time of year.

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Speaker 3: You know, when we can make sunsets and amazing music

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Speaker 3: come together or you know take you know, make Festival

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Speaker 3: Park come alive, doing events in bars and restaurants all

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Speaker 3: across the city.

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Speaker 1: So doing something on the harbor this year.

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Speaker 3: So that's the real idea of this year's festival is

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Speaker 3: come together in Festival Park and spread out explore this city.

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Speaker 3: If you're a local, you see the city in a

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Speaker 3: different light. But also all our visitors that come get

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Speaker 3: to experience really unique events.

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Speaker 2: So what are some of the new venues that we

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Speaker 2: may not have sort of you know, experienced before.

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Speaker 3: As part of the Dark Opening weekend is at Fort

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Speaker 3: Hill Parklands down at Darwen Waterfront with Guys Sebastian on

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Speaker 3: the Friday night and Lab New Zealand Superstars on the

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Speaker 3: Saturday night. So that's going to be really really beautiful.

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Speaker 3: We're really excited to have that as part of the

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Speaker 3: program this year. Lots of new dud and hospitality venues.

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Speaker 3: We're doing this comedy bus tour this year that starts

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Speaker 3: at the Last Supper and then goes to One Mile

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Speaker 3: Distillery and then ends in through one Mile and then

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Speaker 3: ends in Willing Distillery.

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Speaker 1: So things like that, like just really fun unique things.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, something a bit different, right, And now I understand

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Speaker 2: that there's going to be seven world premieres, are they?

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Speaker 3: Oh? So that's always part of the festival is supporting

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Speaker 3: anti artists and also some other interstate artists as well

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Speaker 3: who are premiering their work. So we've got local legend

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Speaker 3: Ben Gratz has his news show. So last year his

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Speaker 3: show Tina Tropical Love Story was so many people's favorite show.

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Speaker 3: And he's coming back his character Bogan Villia, So a

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Speaker 3: night of rock and roll with Bogan Villia. So you know,

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Speaker 3: it's a great chance to support local artists seeing you

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Speaker 3: work take a risk. So that's going to be really fun.

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Speaker 3: And Symphony Orchestra has a premier performances.

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Speaker 2: There's so many there's so many legendary formers in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory. But Ben, Ben and I worked together many

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Speaker 2: years ago at the Darwin Entertainment Center. I used to

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Speaker 2: you know, I used to help them out with their

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Speaker 2: media and communications and Ben was the artistic director there.

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Speaker 3: Then.

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Speaker 1: Yes, he is incredible, he's amazing.

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Speaker 3: I love seeing what he does absolutely, and you know,

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Speaker 3: shows like that's a Tina that was premiered last year.

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Speaker 3: It's then gone on to Sydney Festival, It's had performances

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Speaker 3: in Melbourn, Brisbane, it's about to tour and internationally. So

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Speaker 3: that's also really important part of the festival, that in

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Speaker 3: investing in local artists and get getting that out there

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Speaker 3: as well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree. It is such a wonderful thing to

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Speaker 2: see and you know, for them to be able to

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Speaker 2: have an amazing stage here in the NT and their

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Speaker 2: home stage, it's really great.

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Speaker 1: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Another local legend, Shalomka, is bringing back his show Purple

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Speaker 3: Plastic Marriage, but you know, like a big way. So

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Speaker 3: he's going to have a band, he's going to have

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Speaker 3: Cup of Hakka, dancers, special guests. So again it's those

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Speaker 3: opportunities for artists that we know and love, but giving

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Speaker 3: them an opportunity to do something bigger, extra extraordinary, extra special,

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Speaker 3: you know.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, spot on. Now, tell me what are some of

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Speaker 2: the other highlights this year. Some of the big names.

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Speaker 1: We've got a great comedy line up.

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Speaker 3: Merrick Watts is back, everyone's favorite at Mendel Beach Casino.

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Speaker 3: Melanie Bracewell, who's a particular favorite of mine, Dave Hughes,

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Speaker 3: Ryce Nicholson. So comedy is always a really big part

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Speaker 3: of the program. Are the big names to close out

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Speaker 3: the weekend the festival at the Darwin Ski Club, So

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Speaker 3: Anthony Colea and Tim Campbell are going to do this

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Speaker 3: great show called The Songs of Eton and Elton and George.

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Speaker 1: It's a really.

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Speaker 3: Breathing life into those amazing classic songs from Elton John

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Speaker 3: and George Michael. And then on the Saturday night is

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Speaker 3: a great kind of female line up with Sarah Blasco.

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Speaker 1: Gordy Little Quirk. So you know, things like that will

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Speaker 1: be really really special.

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Speaker 4: And what's planned this year for the Spiegel.

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Speaker 3: Teint Oh, We've got a brand new show called larn

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Speaker 3: I saw it in Adelaide this year.

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Speaker 4: It's great.

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Speaker 3: It's just really awesome circus variety acts like the one

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Speaker 3: act that I saw and I've seen a lot of

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Speaker 3: circus acts. Yeah, I was mind blown, like really yeah,

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Speaker 3: this aerial act. I was like, I haven't seen anything

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Speaker 3: like that, So that's going to be really fantastic.

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Speaker 2: It is always like there's always a smallas board of

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Speaker 2: you know, different kinds of shows for people to enjoy,

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Speaker 2: and that's what I love about the Dahlin Festival. And

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Speaker 2: you also try to make it accessible for everybody to absolutely.

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Speaker 3: I mean we really try for families is a really

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Speaker 3: important part of the program. There some beautiful shows each weekend,

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Speaker 3: things at Magnet, Teddy Bear's Picnic and a great Friday

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Speaker 3: night free event at Palmerston as well. So you know,

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Speaker 3: if you've got kids or grandkids or you know, just

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Speaker 3: do check out the program because there's a lot on

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Speaker 3: for kids and also just that really trying to you know,

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Speaker 3: we have some programs that community tickets.

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Speaker 1: It's about free and.

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Speaker 3: Low cost tickets as well, which you know, if if

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Speaker 3: money is a barrier, don't let that stop you coming

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Speaker 3: to the festival. You know you can book tickets at

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Speaker 3: an affordable price.

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Speaker 2: That's a really good thing to make it accessible for everybody. Hey,

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Speaker 2: in terms of food, I love my food.

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Speaker 1: What are we got this year? Anything a bit different?

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Speaker 3: Well, Festival Park is of course your place to come.

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Speaker 3: We've got tournament is back, which are very excited about.

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Speaker 3: But we've also got this great program a Taste of

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Speaker 3: darl And curated by Neville from Prap Fine Foods. There

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Speaker 3: is so much on in that program. So at Perhap

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Speaker 3: Fine foods is going to be it's called Gloom and Gourmet.

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Speaker 3: It's like this banquet fine wines and then this sort

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Speaker 3: of murder ballads spoken word like all like kind of

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Speaker 3: dark and you know, stormy, like that's going to be

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Speaker 3: really really great. Yes, and lots of fun things they do.

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Speaker 3: All those events sell out really quickly. I will give

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Speaker 3: people their heads up. So if you're into those kind

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Speaker 3: of unique food and cocktail and wine experiences, get into it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: And so when do tickets go on sale? Yes, so

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Speaker 4: everything's on the website now. If you're a friend of

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Speaker 4: the festival and please join as a friend of the festival,

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Speaker 4: you've got to two day's little pre sale window and

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Speaker 4: then tickets are on sale to everyone Friday, nine am

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Speaker 4: this Friday.

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Speaker 2: Well, Kate, there is no doubt you and I are

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Speaker 2: going to be speaking quite a bit, I'm sure over

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Speaker 2: the coming month or so a couple of months. It's

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Speaker 2: always such a busy time, but such a wonderful time

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Speaker 2: I think for the Northern Territory and for us up

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Speaker 2: here in.

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Speaker 1: The top end. Absolutely.

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Speaker 2: Thank you well, Kate Fell, lovely to speak to you

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Speaker 2: this morning. Darwin Festival's artistic director, thank you for your time.

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Speaker 1: Thank you Katie,