Escape the cold: Our pick of northern Australia's top winter festivals

Winter is coming and one of the best ways to escape it is to travel to the northern parts of this wide brown land, where a range of festivals await. Head to the Northern Territory capital in August, where two major events will unfold at the same time: while Darwin Festival (August 8-25) will offer a packed calendar of live events, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (August 6-11) will showcase works by some of the country's most talented First Nations artists.

For a deeper cultural immersion, make your way to East Arnhem Land, where Garma - Australia's largest Indigenous gathering - will take place from August 2-5. Queensland has plenty of escape plans, too. Foodies should make a beeline for the Sunshine Coast where the Curated Plate Food & Drink Festival will take place from July 26-August 4; or head further north for Taste Port Douglas taking place from August 8-11.

There's plenty for music-lovers, too: from Birdsville Big Red Bash (July 2-4), where the line-up includes Icehouse, Hoodoo Gurus and Pete Murray, to Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville (July 26-August 4), which will see a program of more than 40 artists from around the world. darwinfestival.org.au; daaf.com.au; yyf.com.au; thecuratedplate.com.au; tasteportdouglas.com.au; bigredbash.com.au; afcm.com.au

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