Araluen Arts Centre: 
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival Exhibition | Thank You! Thank You! Beanies of Gratitude!
A wild array of fantastic textiles by makers from across Australia and the world.
The exhibition highlights works from Indigenous workshops held annually in communities across Central Australia.
See the winners of the National Beanie Competition and cast your vote for the Centred in Choice People’s Favourite Beanie Award.
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is a community- based event that began in 1997 with a ‘beanie party’, organised by Adi Dunlop.
In the early years, the festival was run by a group of friends including Pamela Bladon, Merran Hughes and Jo Nixon on a volunteer basis. The core group has slowly grown into a committed band of beanie-ologists.
The festival was organised to sell beanies crocheted by Aboriginal women in remote communities. It has grown into a fun event where Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal artists share their culture and exhibit together. The festival is unique because of the incredible amount of community participation and our unique ties with local Aboriginal organisations.
The festival’s aims have always been to develop Aboriginal women’s textiles, promote womens’ culture and the beanie as a regional art form, as well as promote handmade textile arts.
Dates
Times
Festival (19 - 22 June)
See 2026 Beanie Festival Program for all opening dates and times.
Exhibition (23 June to 12 July)
10am to 4pm | 7 days
Prices
Beanie Central
Gold coin donation, no tickets required
Beanie Exhibition
FREE for the Festival (19 - 22 June)
then the below gallery fees apply.
(23 June - 12 July)
Adult $8 | Concession $6
Family Pass $20 | Free for NT residents
Children's Corner Workshops
Free, drop in anytime
Beanie Festival Workshops
Prices vary, please see program
https://www.beaniefest.org/
Genre
Location
Extra information
Accessibility
