It's Party Time!

Slip on your best party get ups and prepare yourselves for one heck of a good time, because there are some serious party animals coming to town.

^{By Tierney White}

SINCE 2017, DARWIN Festival has welcomed production company Strut & Fret to the Top End with punters snapping up tickets to Blanc de Blanc, Limbo, and Blanc de Blanc Encore. This year, they’re back baby, with a brand-new show housed in – much to everyone’s delight – The Spiegeltent.

The Party offers everything you’d expect from this talented entourage of professional party people – high energy international circus performers, great beats, extravagant costumes, and a sweet set design.

Scott Maidment is the founding father of Strut & Fret and reckons Darwin’s going to gobble it up.

“It kind of came from the idea of what audiences want to do when they come to The Spiegeltent, they want to come and have a great party and enjoy themselves, so it’s a mix of great music and … amazing acrobats and performers, so it’s a good mix,” he says.

“And the audience, more than ever, gets to be involved with the show. I think Darwin will go crazy for it!”

Spiegeltent shows have earned the reputation for lavish sets, risqué humour and opulent costumes. The Party continues to deliver on this, but ups the ante with a more immersive audience experience and some exciting new talent.

“One of the most amazing performers we’ve got is Emma Phillips, who travels the world performing. She’s from New Zealand, but she spent two years of her life in a small Chinese town as the only English-speaking white person, learning foot juggling,” Maidment says.

“It’s an amazing skill – she can literally spin tables and umbrellas and everything on her feet – and it really is the perfect, kind of, knees-up trick. There’s probably only two or three people in the world that can do the skills that she can do. You don’t see this in Australia very often, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Darwin Festival Artistic Director Kate Fell says inviting the big top and its occupants was a no-brainer.

“Last year, The Spiegeltent’s Blanc de Blanc Encore show was an incredible hit … We’re thrilled that audiences can again experience the extraordinary talents and outrageous performances of these artists – there really is nothing like it.”

Maidment and his merry crew are excited just as excited to see you.

“It’s just bliss, Darwin in August. It’s kind of like doing a show in a tropical resort – the whole city is a beautiful temperature, it’s amazing, and Darwin Festival has kept growing and growing, and so it’s really great for us to be a part of it.”

If you love a good party, get yourself on that guest list and strap in for the ride.

The Party
WHEN TUE 6 – SUN 25 AUG (EXC. MON)
AT THE SPIEGELTENT, SITZLER FESTIVAL LAWN
COST $59-$145
INFO darwinfestival.org.au

_{Photos: Jacinta Oaten}