Festival Fever Returns: Reviving Sports, Stories, and Strength in the Watarrka Region

Posted: November 20, 2025 | By Michelle Segaert, Board Member

The dust may settle, but the energy from our Sports and Storytelling Festivals lingers like the scent of spinifex after rain. Since 2015, when we first gathered around 40 kids from Lilla, Papunya, and Areyonga schools for two days of AFL drills, poetry slams, and elder-led storytelling at Lilla, these events have been cornerstones of joy and resilience. Funded by partners like Discovery Parks & Resorts, Comm Bank and Dentons, they weren't just fun, they sparked futures.

Fast-forward to 2025: We're reigniting that magic with a hybrid festival-meets-internship pilot, launching post our Dec 5-6 Community Meeting. Imagine 20 young adults from remote communities, including recent St Phillips grads, training in eco-tourism skills at Discovery Resorts Kings Canyon.

Mornings: Bush Footy and Netball with NT AFL pros. Afternoons: Cultural mapping workshops for the new Watarrka Walking Trails, where youth document sacred sites through digital stories. Evenings: Fireside yarns with Traditional Owners, echoing the 2018 festival's record turnout of 40 kids and volunteers.

This year's twist? A focus on health and independence—nutrition and cooking demos with Chef’s from Discovery Resorts Kings Canyon, mental health circles led by elders, and enterprise pitches for youth-run bush tucker stalls. It's about equipping kids to thrive amid challenges like remote access to education, while celebrating their unique cultural heritage.

One 2015 participant, now a ranger, told us: "That festival showed me I could lead, not just play." We're multiplying those moments.

Fuel the Fire: Help fund the 2026 Festival—your $50 covers a kid's kit. DONATE