Darwin December January School holidays 2022- 2023

Darwin December January School holidays 2022 – 2023 break is fast approaching! School holidays will start on Friday 16th December (for Darwin public schools) to Monday 30th January 2023 (Private and Independent school holidays may be slightly different – please check with your school). Students will return to school for Term 1 2023 on Tuesday 31st January 2023.

Darwin Family Life has rounded up some of the fantastic options that are free (or affordable) activities to do with your kids these Darwin December January School holidays 2022 – 2023.

Darwin December January School holidays 2022-2023

December activities

Darwin Waterfront activities

Christmas Movies at Darwin Waterfront

Movie at Stokes Hill Wharf – Sunday 11th December

Watch the ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ at the famous Stokes Hill Wharf and enjoy some delicious food from the local eateries. From 7pm on Sunday.

Movie in the Wave Lagoon – Thursday 15th December

Watch the ‘Elf’ from the cool wave lagoon. Grab a floatie and relax. From 7pm on Thursday. A valid wave pool ticket is required to enter the movie. Buy yours online here or at the Wave lagoon kiosk.

Christmas Pool Party at Darwin Waterfront – Tuesday 20th December

Splash and dance at the Darwin Waterfront wave lagoon. Dance to groovy Christmas tunes, enjoy kids activities and keep your eyes peeled for the jolly man himself. The Pool party kicks off from 9am till midday on Tuesday 20th December! A valid wave pool ticket is required for entry into pool party – why not get a Waterfront membership for unlimited yearly access! – more info here

Christmas Crafts at Darwin Waterfront – Saturday 17th December onwards

Keep your little ones busy this silly season with free Kids Christmas Crafts at the Darwin Waterfront. Add extra glitter and sparkle with a different craft each morning. On daily from 9am to 11am from Saturday 17th to Thursday 22nd December.

Darwin Social Chess Club – every Sunday

Interested in playing or learning chess for fun? Darwin Social Chess Club, hosted by Darwin Chess Lessons cordially invites people of all ages and talent levels to play chess and connect with people! Every Sunday 4:15-6:15 pm at Casuarina Library Community Meeting Room.

Cas Christmas Craft Corner Near Big W

Christmas touched down at Cas and the elves have been settling in. So join us for the real fun from December 16^th – Christmas Eve when the elves open their Christmas Craft Corner in front of Big W.

There will be:

Christmas Village Decorating
Santa’s Paint a Plate
Christmas Stocking and Elfy Hat making
Christmas Card Colouring Fun
Plus catch the FREE Christmas Train!

LEGO Club – Friday 16th Dec and 30th Dec

Join in the LEGO CLUB at Casuarina Library and hone your building skills with fortnightly activities. Create your own masterpiece and display them in our Library for everyone to see. 3.30-4.30pm alternate fortnights on Fridays. For ages 5 to 12 years. Children 10 years and under are to be accompanied by an adult.

Gaming After Dark – Friday 16th Dec

Hang out and play casual setups, compete in small Esports competitions, socialise and be around friendly like-minded people! FREE event, For ages 12-17 at Casuarina Library, 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

Casuarina Christmas Party – Saturday 17th December

This year were hosting our Casuarina Christmas party at BCC Cinemas Casuarina.

There will be face painting, a reptile petting zoo and circus activities to enjoy before you head into your free movie session. Secure your movie ticket/s in advance here

*Tickets not collected 5 mins after the scheduled start time of the film, will be released. Tickets not exchangeable. Maximum of 4 tickets are available per booking.

This event is proudly supported by Casuarina Square. Find a City of Darwin staff member to receive your copy of the treasure map and get your stamp.

Christmas Plaster painting workshop – Monday 19th December

Join Plaster Fun NT at their new Pop up shop at Oasis Shopping Village for their Christmas Plaster painting workshop. Each session will go for an hour. You will get to choose from our large or medium plasters, a plaster box and ornament. All paint, sticky jewels and glitter is included. Parents, feel free to grab a coffee or wander the shops while the workshop is on. There will be 3 plaster boxes to choose from, 6 medium/large plasters to choose from, 6 ornaments to choose from. Book your spot here

Glitter and Colour Days – Leanyer Recreation Park – Tues 27 Dec – Fri 30th Dec

Yenz Entertainment will be at the park daily with a glitter me silly station for free temporary glitter tattoos & colouring in station from 10:30am – 12:30pm.

January activities

Why not check out our Top 10 FREE things to do with kids in Darwin here

Plaster Fun NT

Head in to Plaster Fun new shop at Oasis Shopping centre and let the kids get creative. From dinosaurs, fairies, tv and movie theme characters, personalised names plus special occasions like Easter, Mother’s Day and Christmas, there is a plaster craft for every child’s interest! You can book your spot online here. Open every day in holidays except Christmas Day.

Kids CARNIVAL 2023 – Sunday 1st January

Come one! Come all! Step right up and have a ball! Here is your free ticket!
Crocodile, snakes, possums, dingoes, activities, live music & so much more!
You’re surely not going to miss the Carnival day for kids! On Sunday, 1st of January 2023 from 12pm the fun kicks off at the Prencint at Darwin Waterfront! They are proudly hosting Darwin Wildlife Sanctuary and Tip Top Circus.

Top End Multi Sports – January program

TEMS have their popular sports holiday program back for the January holidays break. For the best holiday fun, book your kids into their holiday program where they have a variety of sports and activities to keep your kids entertained! Whether your kid is a beginner or expert player, their school holiday program provides for all levels of ability. They can expect lots of fun, learn a skill and much more.

Program consists of: Soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, movie time and more. Daily activities have flexibility to suit children. For ages 5+ 8am to 4pm (half days and earlier starts available on request)

Week 1 – Monday 16th to Friday 20th Jan ($300 for 5 days)

Week 2 – Monday 23rd to Friday 27th Jan (no program Thurs 26th with the public holiday) ($240 for 4 days)

or $75 per day

Enrolments are now open and filling up fast! For more information and to enrol, click here.

LEGO Club – Friday 13th Jan and 27th Jan

Join in the FREE LEGO CLUB at Casuarina Library and hone your building skills with fortnightly activities. Create your own masterpiece and display them in our Library for everyone to see. 3.30-4.30pm alternate fortnights on Fridays. For ages 5 to 12 years. Children 10 years and under are to be accompanied by an adult.

Surf & Life Saving

Indigenous Youth Surf program

An exciting and FREE community program for Indigenous Youth aged 10 -17 years old who want to learn basic first aid, CPR and gain experience in the surf sports! It will be held at Lake Alexander, East Point reserve on
WHEN: Wednesday 11th and 18th Of January 2023 from 9:30am

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE so register now here

Surf and Sail – Tuesday 24th January

Free Surf & Sail at Lake Alexander from 10:00am – 12:00pm. No Booking required.

Go for a Sail and have a paddle in their school holiday fun session!

Come and Try Surf Lifesaving and Sailing for Free!

LAUNCH Darwin

Are hosting a bunch of exciting activities, workshops, programs and events lined up, that suits everybody’s interests and needs for ages 12-17yrs old:

Dungeons & Dragons – Tues 3, 10, 17 & 24 Jan at Casuarina Library
Get That Job! Fitness Instructor – Tues 10 Jan at Snap Fitness Casuarina
FREEze Skate – Sat 14 Jan at Darwin Ice Skating Centre
How to Dungeon Master – Sun 15 Jan at Casuarina Library
Get That Job! Café Skills – Thurs 19 Jan at The Meeting Place by GTNT Group
Geektacular – Sat 21 Jan at Casuarina Library
FREE Movie @ Cas – Sat 22 Jan at BCC Cinemas Casuarina

Stay tuned for more. Click here for more info and bookings

City of Palmerston Library

Need help keeping the kids entertained this school holidays? Visit the Palmerston Library this January from movies, learn to DJ, slime making, circu workshops, craft and more! All activities start at 10am and are for 6-12 year olds. Some bookings required. Check out all the dates/details and book here

Leanyer Recreation Park

Another great option to keep the kids busy and cool these Darwin December January School holidays 2022 is to visit Leanyer Recreation park. AND the brand new water playground is now open and finished upgrades! It is a FREE water recreation park located at 215 Vanderlin Drive Leanyer. The Park consists of dry and wet recreational areas. The wet area includes a swimming lagoon (shallow in many areas – great for toddlers and young children), three massive water slides for the older kids. There are large grassed areas for play, BBQ’s, a dry playground, skate park and basketball courts. The Park has lots of shaded areas including over the pool, the wet play area, the skate park and the grassed areas. There are toilets and change room facilities. Closed Christmas Day.

FREE January holiday program at Leanyer Rec Park

NRL touch football clinic – Mon 9th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Inflatable fun day – Thur 12th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Girl Guides come and try session – Fri 13th Jan – 10am

Bubble pit fun – Tues 17th Jan – 10am – 12.30pm

Baseball Clinic – Friday 20th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Circus Skills workshop – Tues 24th Jan 10am – 11.30am

Poolside party with local DJ’s – Wed 25th Jan 11am-2pm

Opening hours during the school holidays are:

Park from 9am

Wet Play & Lagoon from 10am

Slides from 11am

Park closes at 6pm

Palmerston Water Park

Palmerston Water Park is the second water park in Darwin. It also FREE and open seven days a week. Located at Cnr University Ave and Roystonea Ave (access via Roystonea Ave). The water park includes a 14 metre high – 100 metre long – six-line racer water slide, a wet play area for families and toddlers featuring sprays, water curtains and a shallow wading pool. Another wet play area for teenagers featuring more active water cannons, buckets and high intensity interactive play, a café, toilets and change room facilities, open grassed play area with BBQs, shaded areas and a skate park. Closed Christmas Day.

FREE January holiday program at Palmerston Rec Park

Girl Guides come and try session – Tues 10th Jan – 10am

NRL NT clinic – Wed 11th Jan – 10am – 1pm

NRL touch football clinic – Mon 16th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Circus Skills workshop – Wed 18th Jan 10am – 11.30am

Inflatable fun day – Thur 19th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Bubble pit fun – Mon 23rd Jan – 10am – 12.30pm

Baseball Clinic – Friday 27th Jan – 10am – 1pm

Opening hours during the school holidays are:

Park from 9am

Wet Play from 10am

Slides from 11am

Park closes at 6pm

Fun in the Parks – for school aged children and libraries events

fun in the parks

Taminmin Community Library

Taminimin Community Library located at 70 Challoner Cct Humpty Doo. Check out their Facebook page for more information about school holiday activities.

Playshack Palmerston

Why not head into the Playshack located in the Hub complex Palmerston (Shop 7, 3 Maluka Drive). Let the kids run and burn their energy and you can enjoy a coffee or drink and a snacks available for purchase. The Playshack have extended during school holidays. Their hours will be 8.30 am till 4 pm Monday – Friday, plus the usual weekend times of Saturday 9 am till 2pm and Sunday 10 am till 4 pm. Entry is only $9.90 per child during the week and bubs under 1 are free. Please remember your socks!

Darwin Ice Skating Centre – special offers!

Our friends at Darwin Ice Skating Centre have some great special offers these Darwin December January School holidays 2022 – 2023. You can skate 1 Parent & 1 Child (5yrs and under) for just $24. Or a family pass of 2 Adults & 2 Children (between 6 Years & 14 Years) is $60.00.

If you buy a pre-paid pass for 10 sessions and receive a 15% discount off the total price. They also have loyalty cards where after 10 skating sessions, you’ll be able to skate for free on the 11th visit.

Check out their school holiday ice skate session times here

Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory (MAGNT)

The Museum and Art Gallery NT (located at 19 Conacher St) is another great place to take the kids and keep them entertained for a few hours in air conditioning! Entry to the MAGNT is free and they are open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4pm and Sundays open 10am till 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

Check out the Pig-nosed Turtle Feeding at MAGNT. Every Thursday at 10.30am, step inside the Monsoon Garden and get up close with these unique reptiles found only in Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The latest Exhibition on at MAGNT is Tiny Territory! Invertebrates in the Top End are the most numerous and important ecosystem engineers, service providers and waste managers. They are rarely noticed or revered. Tiny Territory makes large and wondrous the small, colourful and alien-like invertebrates of the Northern Territory.

Office of Youth Affairs

Plus check out more school holiday activities for 10-25 year olds. More details on the website here

We hope you enjoy the Darwin December January School holidays 2022 – 2023. Have a safe and happy festive season with your family and loved ones.

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