View source for 10 Days on the Island

{{short description|Arts festival in Tasmania, Australia}}
{{use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{use Australian English|date=March 2023}}
'''Ten Days on the Island''' is a [[biennial]] statewide arts festival held across [[Tasmania]], Australia. Established in 2001 by the [[Government of Tasmania|Tasmanian Government]] under Premier [[Jim Bacon (politician)|Jim Bacon]], it is Australia's only statewide arts festival.<ref name="aboutus">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.tendays.org.au/about-us/ |publisher=Ten Days on the Island |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> The festival presents performances, exhibitions, and community events in venues and locations across the island over ten days, typically in March.<ref name="discovertasmania">{{cite web |title=Ten Days on the Island |url=https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/tendaysontheisland/ |publisher=Discover Tasmania |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref>

Ten Days on the Island is a registered charity and a member of the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals (CAIAF).<ref name="tendays-about">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.tendays.org.au/about-us/ |publisher=Ten Days on the Island |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> The organisation is headquartered in [[Burnie, Tasmania|Burnie]], having relocated from [[Hobart]] in 2017.<ref name="premier2025">{{cite web |title=10 Days of Tasmanian creativity |url=https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/latest-news/2025/february/10-days-of-tasmanian-creativity |publisher=Premier of Tasmania |date=February 2025 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Origins ===

The festival was conceived as part of the Bacon government's initiative to build Tasmania's cultural confidence.<ref name="artlink2003">{{cite journal |title=Ten Days on the Island |url=https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/2417/ten-days-on-the-island/ |journal=[[Artlink]] |year=2003 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> Premier Jim Bacon invited [[Robyn Archer]] AO, then Artistic Director of the [[Adelaide Festival]], to create a new international arts festival for Tasmania.<ref name="tendays-20years">{{cite web |title=20 years of Ten Days on the Island – looking back, looking forward |url=https://www.tendays.org.au/20-years-of-ten-days-on-the-island-looking-back-looking-forward/ |publisher=Ten Days on the Island |date=2021 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref>

Archer developed the concept of an exchange of island cultures, inviting artists from island nations around the world to perform alongside Tasmanian artists.<ref name="artlink2003"/> The inaugural festival was held in March 2001, with events staged across Tasmania in over 50 locations.<ref name="tendays-about"/>

=== Growth and evolution ===

The festival grew significantly in its first decade under Archer (2001, 2003, 2005) and her successor Elizabeth Walsh (2007, 2009, 2011). By 2009, attendance had reached approximately 195,000 across the state.<ref name="tendays-beach">{{cite web |title=We Changed a Beach |url=https://www.tendays.org.au/we-changed-a-beach/ |publisher=Ten Days on the Island |date=2025 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref>

In 2013, Artistic Director Jo Duffy introduced the "Ten Festival Towns" model, concentrating events into ten regional hubs rather than spreading across dozens of locations.<ref name="tendays-about"/>

Under David Malacari (2015, 2017), the festival broadened its programming beyond the island cultures theme. 

In 2017, the organisation relocated its headquarters from Hobart to Burnie on the North-West Coast, with additional funding from the Tasmanian Government to support a renewed focus on regional Tasmania.<ref name="tendays-about"/>

=== Three-weekend regional model ===

Beginning in 2019, Artistic Director Dr [[Lindy Hume]] AM introduced a three-weekend format, with each weekend dedicated to a different region of Tasmania: the North-West, the North, and the South.<ref name="tendays-365">{{cite web |title=365 Days to go |url=https://www.tendays.org.au/365-days-to-go/ |publisher=Ten Days on the Island |date=2018 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> Hume described this approach as "radical regionalism".<ref name="tendays-365"/>

The 2021 festival was held during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia|COVID-19 pandemic]], with an almost entirely Tasmanian program featuring over 450 local artists and community members across 15 locations. Nearly 36,000 people attended.<ref name="tendays-20years"/>

Hume's final festival in 2023 returned to ten consecutive days, moving through three regions: opening in the North, shifting to the South, and closing on the North-West Coast. 

=== 2025 onwards ===

Marnie Karmelita was appointed Artistic Director in 2024, arriving from the [[New Zealand Festival of the Arts|Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts]] in [[Wellington]].<ref name="tendays-about"/> The 2025 festival ran from 21 to 30 March across Tasmania.<ref name="premier2025"/>

== Artistic Directors ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Festivals
|-
| [[Robyn Archer]] AO, CdAOL || 2001, 2003, 2005
|-
| Elizabeth Walsh || 2007, 2009, 2011
|-
| Jo Duffy || 2013
|-
| David Malacari || 2015, 2017
|-
| Dr [[Lindy Hume]] AM || 2019, 2021, 2023
|-
| Marnie Karmelita || 2025, 2027
|}

== Chairs ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Approximate tenure
|-
| Premier [[Jim Bacon (politician)|Jim Bacon]] AC || 2001–2003
|-
| Sir [[Guy Green (judge)|Guy Green]] AC || c. 2003–2015
|-
| Saul Eslake || c. 2017–2019
|-
| Craig Perkins || c. 2020–2025
|-
| Kerry Sarten || 2025–present
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://www.tendays.org.au/}}

[[Category:Festivals in Tasmania]]
[[Category:Arts festivals in Australia]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 2001]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Burnie, Tasmania]]