Beer Can Regatta in Darwin

Trust the Australians to make the best out of a potential environmental problem into a kickass festival to be enjoyed by the masses. The Darwin Beer Can Regatta was born out of an attempt to clean up litter in and around Darwin, when co-founders of the festival, Lutz Frankenfeld and Paul Rice-Chapman had the idea of using discarded beer cans to build a working, motorised boat.

a-competition-boat — A competition boat made of beer cans

Since 1974, the Darwin Beer Can Regatta has been a local and international favourite with festival goers for the spectacle of beer can boats floating in Port Darwin at Mindil Beach. The competition has seen some remarkable can-struction of boats that range from one to 12 metres in length. Races last through the morning and even see children taking part with soft drink can boats. On the beach, join in drier fun with sandcastle building, tug-of-wars, iron person competitions, novelty hat contests and thong (flip flops) throwing competitions.

the-mindil-beach-is-full-of-spectators-watching-the-boats-race — The Mindil Beach is full of spectators watching the boats race

Adding to the festival atmosphere is the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. Food is the main attraction here and hail from far-flung corners of the world. Find quality Asian cuisine, as well as South American and European fare. Apart from food, the market also has a number of stalls dedicated to local handmade goods, ranging from jewellery, clothes, and even Aboriginal artefacts.

a-stand-at-the- mindil-beach-sunset-market — A stand at The Mindil Beach Sunset Market

Make sure to make your way to Darwin’s national parks too. Litchfield National Park and Kakadu National Park require a drive out but the wildlife and splendid scenes of nature are unparalleled to anything else in the Top End.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

This year’s Darwin Beer Can Regatta will be held on 17 July from 10am to 5pm at Mindil Beach. Participating as a spectator is free.
Qantas (qantas.com) flies direct from Singapore to Darwin International Airport daily. Malaysia Airlines only flies direct from Kuala Lumpur thrice weekly. To get to Mindil Beach, rent a car from the airport to make the hour-long drive. There are various international car rental chains available, including Avis (from US$62 per day) and Hertz (from US$101 per day).
For immediate access to Mindil Beach, stay at SKYCITY Darwin. The beachfront hotel and resort is just a short walk from Mindil Beach Sunset Market and near the city centre. Onsite facilities also include spectacular pools, fine dining restaurants and a casino (from US$153 per night for Deluxe Room).