The air is warming up, and the nice weather is starting to show itself! All of this signals the arrival of summer with its barbecues, swimming, and numerous festivals! And the didgeridoo also has its own concerts and festivals. So, let me share with you the various didgeridoo festivals happening around the world in 2023. Don’t be surprised if I focus more on French and European festivals, as I have played there often and know them better than others. Let’s embark on this didgeridoo world tour!
Didgeridoo Festival in France
I’ll start with France because I’m quite familiar with the French landscape. And since the majority of you live in France (or nearby), this should also interest you. However, if you’re in another part of the globe, I’ll also provide links at the end of the article to festivals taking place in the United States or Australia.
Nomadidge – Saint-Jean du Gard – July 7, 8, and 9, 2023
Nomadidge is particularly dear to me because it is a newcomer to the French festival scene. It is organized by Gregory Zwingelstein from Didgeridoo Passion. Greg is organizing it single-handedly (!), but many of us are lending him a hand. Wakademy is also one of the official partners of Nomadidge. So, if you’re looking for a place to meet players, attend workshops (I’ll be giving three workshops this year), enjoy concerts, and have a good time, I highly recommend you come and check it out! Reservations are already open! Visit the Nomadidge website
Le rêve de l’aborigène – Airvault – July 21, 22, and 23, 2023
Le rêve de l’aborigène is one of the largest didgeridoo festivals in the world. It has been around since 2001 and attracts thousands of people every year. Although over the years the number of players has become somewhat diluted among the festivalgoers, it remains an important gathering for the French (and European) didgeridoo community. If you’ve never attended, Le rêve de l’aborigène is worth a visit.
Visit the Rêve de l’Aborigène website
Didg2didg – Montescot (66) – April 28 and 29, 2023
Didg 2 didg is more of a meeting than a traditional festival. Inspired by Hip Hop culture, particularly Beatboxing, this event revolves around several didgeridoo battles: two players take turns on stage playing a rhythm for a set period of time. Then, the jury selects who will qualify for the next battle.
Visit the Didg2Didg Facebook page
Les bourgeons de l’arbre – Grand Auverné (44) – August 4, 5, and 6, 2023
This year, the organizing association of the “L’Arbre qui Marche” festival is offering a renewed and more intimate experience with a new format called “Les bourgeons de l’arbre”. Just like its predecessor, “Les bourgeons de l’arbre” festival goes beyond the didgeridoo to place environmental respect at the heart of its approach. It extends its branches to create harmonious connections between culture and ecology!
Visit the festival’s website.
Tribal Elek – Andilly-les-marais (17) – August 11 and 12, 2023
Tribal Elek is a festival that focuses its programming on the didgeridoo and contemporary music. It involves a lot of mixing with electronic music and other modern sounds. I have never been there myself, but I’ve heard that it’s a great party! So, if you’re in a festive mood, Tribal Elek might be the right choice for you!
Visit the Tribal Elek website.
Été Nomade – Lac Amance (10) – June 30, July 1, and July 2, 2023
Été Nomade presents itself more as a convention than a festival. I haven’t played there personally, but I’ve heard good things about this event that brings together Hang and didgeridoo enthusiasts. I can only recommend you to go and check it out!
Visit the Été Nomade Facebook page.
Didgeridoo Festival in Belgium
Tomorrow Lab – (Soignies, BE) – June 9, 10, and 11, 2023
Tomorrow Lab is a brand new event that takes over from “Resonance Gathering.” Based on the teaser, the festival seems to be more open to different musical styles and less focused solely on the didgeridoo. However, according to Christophe, the event organizer, the goal is also to bring together the essence of the Belgian didgeridoo scene. There will be, among other things, the presence of Termita didge, run by Loïc, who offers didgeridoos for sale. It’s a small event that could be quite enjoyable!
Visit the Tomorrow Lab Facebook page.
Didgeridoo Festival – (Beauraing, BE) – This festival seems to no longer exist…
As the only didgeridoo festival in Belgium, the Didgeridoo Festival took place in a pleasant natural setting. You could go there with your family without any worries. I haven’t been there personally, but I’ve heard good things about it. I encourage you to go and check it out. It will support the organizers in maintaining and perpetuating the festival.
Didgeridoo Festival in Italy
Didjnoz – July 7 and 8, 2023
Didjnoz is the didgeridoo festival in Italy. I played there in 2011 (that’s quite some time ago!). Back then, the audience wasn’t very large yet. But looking at the photos on the current festival website, it seems like it now attracts a much larger crowd. The location is unique, with the stage set in the courtyard of an old fortress, which also hosts the vendor booths. It’s a festival that every didgeridoo player should experience at least once in their life!
Visit the Didjnoz website.
Didgeridoo Festival in Portugal
DidgeFest – June 3rd and 4th, 2023 – Casa Cortesia – Sintra
I wasn’t aware of this festival until I stumbled upon it on Facebook. It appears to be organized by Tiago Francisquinho (an excellent didgeridoo player, by the way). To learn more about the festival, you can contact Cano Guru (aka Tiago) on Facebook here.
Fatt festival – June 9th and 10th, 2023
For several years, the FATT Festival was one of the few festivals, along with Le rêve de l’aborigène, that managed to gather thousands of people around it. However, while updating this article, I realized that the FATT festival might not be current anymore. It has been replaced by a didgeridoo-related event, the nature of which I must admit I did not fully understand (the translation with my browser wasn’t excellent). However, if you’re motivated to enjoy a vacation in southern Portugal, why not give it a try?
(EDIT)
Ricardo Branco, one of the organizers of the Fatt festival, contacted me following the publication of this article, and he explained their approach to me better. Here’s his answer:
“I saw that you don’t have the accurate information there about FATT festival, so I’ll explain. We are attempting to develop a new concept within our organization so that we can perform more didgeridoo inventions throughout the year in Portugal. The word “Raizes” (= Roots) has its origins here. In essence, this is a concept where the FATT festival vibe and organization collaborate with a town or city to develop a festival that links didgeridoo and other sorts of art with the citizens of the village.
The FATT festival, on the other hand, is a gathering where attendees are encouraged to engage with the surrounding nature while maintaining some distance from towns and cities.
To conclude. We attempted to hold a FATT in 2023, but we were unable to locate a suitable location since, as I previously stated, we need a location where we can experience nature.
Therefore, in 2023 we will simply concentrate on the “raizes” concept, and in 2024 we will return to hold the FATT festival edition and “raizes” in other Portuguese communities.
Portugal needs additional inventions for the didgeridoo, and we are working to develop more ideas inside APD.”
Swiss Didgeridoo Festival
Swizzeridoo – This festival is currently on hold…
Swizzeridoo was one of the oldest didgeridoo festivals in Europe. It took place in Bern, in a complex that housed a small concert hall, food vendors, and didgeridoo stands. It was a small festival with exhibitors like Eddy Hallat and other German, Swiss, and sometimes French manufacturers. However, according to their website, the festival will not be held in 2023.
Didgeridoo Festival in Poland
In 2017, I went to Poland to perform at the didgeridoo festival. It was a small festival that attracted dozens of people, set in a charming countryside village. It was quite a unique experience being there, and I have very warm and joyful memories of our Polish friends. However, I couldn’t find any information about a new edition in 2023…
Facebook page
Other Didgeridoo Festivals
Europe
There are other didgeridoo festivals around the world, but I haven’t attended any of them, so it’s difficult for me to talk about them. I encourage you to check out the atmosphere of these festivals yourself and, most importantly, let me know about them in the comments!
- Singing Sticks – The festival in England – August 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2023
- Didgeridoo wave days – Festival in Germany – August 26th, 27th, and 28th, 2023
- DIDGE & BASS – Festival/Events in Austria, but it seems to no longer exist…
Australia
- Garma festival – August 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2023 – The biggest festival related to Aboriginal culture in Australia
- Didgefestival – Melbourne – Doesn’t seem to exist anymore…
United States
A Website Listing Didgeridoo Festivals Worldwide
While researching didgeridoo festivals, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a website that, although not completely up to date, lists all the didgeridoo festivals worldwide. Therefore, I give credit where credit is due and thank the creators of didgeridoofestivals.com for all the work they have done.
Conclusion: Connect with other enthusiasts!
In 2007, I remember embarking on a mini tour of festivals in Europe with a friend. At that time, I had just released my first album and wasn’t yet making a living from my passion. We were in a rather old truck borrowed from a friend, driving at 80 km/h. Slowly but surely, we attended several didgeridoo festivals in Europe. I have wonderful memories of those times. So, dear didgeridoo friends, I can only encourage you to meet others. Go listen to other players, take a step towards other passionate didgeridoo enthusiasts. Long live the didgeridoo. Long live music!
And if you know of a festival that I have forgotten, please mention it in the comments!
