If you are trying to decide when is the best time to visit the Northern Territory the main thing to consider is the weather and your tolerance of it! Along with being more comfortable, most of the best festivals are held to coincide with the best weather.

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There are pros and cons to each time of year and in an ideal world, you would get to experience both. Having braved a wet season in Kakadu and Litchfield I can highly recommend it – so lush and green. The trade-off is that many roads are closed so it’s not great for four-wheel driving – but by air, you are in for a treat.

Weather in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has two climate zones. The Top End, taking in Darwin and down to Katherine, is tropical. Below this, the climate is semi-arid.

The Top End

There are just two seasons in the Top End, the wet and the dry. The thing most people find uncomfortable about traveling here is the humidity. In the wet season, which can be as high as 85%. Heavy rain is not uncommon, and January is the wettest month of the year. I visited in March as the wet was coming to an end, and it was fantastic, still crazy humid but so green with lots of action in the waterfalls and plenty of life in the place. Some parts of Kakadu were flooded, and we could not visit, but it didn’t cause any real issues.

Most events are held in the dry season, which adds to its popularity with visitors. Humidity drops down to 20-30%, rain all but disappears, and the temperature drops slightly. Most people prefer to visit in the dry so prices can be higher.

The Red Centre

There are four seasons in the center with winter nights getting quite cold, something that catches some travelers by surprise. Summer brings very little rain and some uncomfortably high midday temperatures, this can reduce the time you have to walk each day, and early starts are the best idea.

Northern Territory Festivals and Events

When you are looking at the best time to visit the Northern Territory it’s well worth trying to include some of these unique NT events if you can.

This information may be subject to change according to current health orders, so it’s a good idea to double-check specifics before you make any plans. Updates will be added as details are released.

Northern Territory School and Public Holidays

School holidays see prices go up and availability reduce. If you don’t need to be travelling at this time, you can save quite a bit by avoiding it.

Public Holidays in Northern Territory 2022-2023

Holiday	2022	2023
New Year’s Day	01 January	01 January
Australia Day	26 January	26 January
Good Friday	15 April	07 April
Easter Sat.	16 April	08 April
Easter Mon.	18 April	10 April
Anzac Day	25 April	25 April
May Day	02 May	01 May
Queens Birthday	12 June	12 June
Picnic Day	01 August	01 August
Christmas Eve	24 December	24 December
Christmas Day	25 December	25 December
Boxing Day	26 December	26 December
Christmas Day Holiday	27 December	N/A

School Holidays in the Northern Territory 2022-2023

Period	2022	2023
Autumn break:	11 April – 18 April	07 April – 16 April
Winter break:	27 June – 18 July	24 June – 17 July
Spring break:	26 September – 7 October	23 September – 08 October
Summer break:	16 December – 30 January 2023	16 December – 29 January 2024

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