Beers cans, boxing and ballet: Darwin’s dry season festival line-up
One of the most anticipated events in the Darwin calendar is the annual Beer Can Regatta. It sees weird and wonderful boats created out of empty beer cans being tested for their seaworthiness in front of raucous crowds at Mindil Beach. The tradition dates back to 1974 when the event was created by local businessmen, Lutz Frankenfeld and Paul Rice-Chapman, with the inaugural event attracting what was around half the population of the Northern Territory capital at the time! While the regatta is the main spectacle of the day, there are a whole host of other quirky events that take place, including a thong-throwing contest and the Henley-on-Mindil competition that sees the can-created boats being run around on land like “Flintstones” cars. There’s also live music and a great selection of food vans and stalls, creating a vibrant festival atmosphere that’s not to be missed. This year the Beer Can Regatta will take place on July 22 from 10 am to 5 pm and in addition to events for bee