The Darwin International Laksa Festival
How much do you really love laksa? Enough to argue with your mates about who makes the best bowl? Enough to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same week? We certainly do! And that's why in Darwin, we don't just love laksa - we dedicate a whole festival to it.
The Darwin International Laksa Festival is a month-long festival held every October across the Northern Territory, and highlights our hospitality sector, while celebrating our multicultural and laksa loving community.
So, how does a month-long festival celebrating our much-loved and national dish work, you ask? Let us explain.
The Laksa Festival is made up by two main ingredients, The Food Tour and The Grand Finale.
The Food Tour, arguably the best part of the entire festival, runs from 1–31 October and invites locals and visitors alike to visit as many registered venues as possible to try their laksa or laksa-inspired creations. Laksa, of course, is the beloved soupy dish that needs no introduction. But then come the laksa-inspired dishes, where chefs get wildly creative and put a laksa spin on other cuisines.
Some legendary creations from past years include laksa inspired ice-cream, burgers, salads, cocktails, smoothie bowls, meat pies, and even beer!
Laksa lovers can explore all participating venues and dishes through the Laksa League - an online game where you earn points (and win incredible prizes like airfares and holiday packages). You can read all about how it works and this year’s prizes under the "Laksa League" tab.
The entire festival builds to one epic, laksa filled, pinacol moment - the Grand Finale, held on Saturday 1 November at the Darwin Waterfront.
The Grand Finale is the NT's largest food festival and a celebration of the month-long festival which is coming to an end. Attendees can expect a packed program including cooking demonstrations from high-profile local chefs, entertaining challenges, food trucks, live-music, chances to win prizes and the presentation of the People's Choice and Golden Bowl Awards.
The People’s Choice and the Golden Bowl are the prizes every venue dreams of. Voted for by the laksa-loving community and awarded by a panel of secret judges respectively, these accolades are more than just trophies—they’re tickets to packed tables, city-wide buzz, and headlines across the NT. Most importantly, they give winners the ultimate bragging rights: proof that for the next 12 months, their laksa is officially one of the best in town.
So, how much do you love laksa? Enough to experience the only laksa festival in Australia? We hope so!
PS. A lot of the fun happens on our social media channels, so make sure you follow us to keep up with all things laksa and be the first to know about future Laksa Festivals!