The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) As the Alice Springs Beanie Festival celebrates its 30th and final year, we're taking a look at the weird and wonderful handmade creations — and the characters working hard behind the scenes — that have made the annual event so special.
Every year, on a mid-winter weekend in June, crowds of people in Central Australia queue up to attend the region's warmest and fuzziest event.
The annual Alice Springs Beanie Festival features handmade headwear of every colour, texture, shape and size — and it's not all your average knits on display.
Over the past three decades, there have been beanies made from dog hair, emu feathers, sticks and bottle caps.
"It's quirky, it's out there, it's very Alice Springs," chief beanieologist Jo Nixon said.
Thousands of visitors are expected at this year's event.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Over the years, plenty of creativity has been on display at the Alice Springs Beanie Festival.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) A key force behind the colourful event for decades, Ms Nixon said this year's festival — themed 'Beanies of Gratitude' — would be its final iteration.
She said many elderly volunteers could no longer work the hours necessary to run the event, explaining "beanie burnout is a real thing".
Jo Nixon says a lot of work goes into bringing the annual festival to life.( ABC News: Will Green )
Central Australians are bananas for beanies.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Visitors can purchase handmade beanies at the festival.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Thousands of creative pieces are on display in Alice Springs this weekend.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) "At the end of the festival, I am dead on my feet," Ms Nixon said.
"I'm going to miss it lots, actually, but I'm not sad about it, I feel good about it.
"It's time to finish on a really big high and thank everyone in Alice Springs and around the world for supporting us and making it such a great event."
The event is held at the Araluen Art Centre from today.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
This ocean-themed beanie features a matching knitted fish.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) Record numbers for festival's final year
For the final festival, more than 150 volunteers have attached 7,800 beanies — a new record — to every inch of wall, and lovingly stacked tables with foot-high piles of fluffy headwear, in preparation for the 6,000 visitors expected to attend this weekend.
Every beanie has been artistically crafted by makers from around Australia and the world.
The most elaborate crocheted, knitted and felted works of art are exhibited, with their creators vying to take home various prizes, including the people's choice award.
Young and old, visitors of all ages flock to the annual event.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Animal-inspired designs are popular at the festival.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Colourful creations, including this one depicting a forest with mushrooms, are highlights every year.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Plenty of beanies over the years have featured some form of animal ears.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) Ninety-one-year-old Lyn Suich has been part of the festival since 1997 and has knitted about 1,500 beanies in that time.
The Alice Springs local, who has painful arthritis, said knitting the beanies made her life worthwhile.
"It truly does, because I love being creative," she said.
"It's such a shame that the festival has to end."
Across almost three decades, Lyn Suich has knitted about 1,500 beanies.( ABC News: Chris Fitzpatrick ) Looking back on beanies
The festival was started by Ms Nixon's aunty, Adi Dunlop, back in 1996.
Annie Farthing , who coordinates the food and cake sales, jumped on-board in the event's second year.
"[Adi] always talked about a beanie-driven economic recovery," she said.
"But at its heart, it was about including people — women and men, but particularly women."
Annie Farthing has been involved since the event’s second year.( ABC News: Victoria Ellis )
The inclusive festival brings together locals and visitors from all over.( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) Ms Farthing said in the the festival's early days, women would teach yarn spinning and Indigenous groups would cook kangaroo tail and damper in a fire, celebrating some of the things "women do a million times over their lifetime".
"Suddenly there's a place that says, 'This is so valuable and so fun and so creative and so artistic'," she said.
"Alice Springs is the most amazing, vibrant, creative, wonderful, joyous place to be."
Ms Farthing and Ms Nixon said they were confident something would come along to fill the gap left by the annual event.
Plenty of colourful creations are on sale this weekend.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
The 2026 festival has set a new record, with thousands of beanies on show in Alice Springs.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
Felted farmyard friends often feature at the festival.( ABC News: Xavier Martin )
The Alice Springs Bea…
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