RAAF Base Darwin will open its tarmac to the public for the Exercise Pitch Black 24 Open Day between 9am-4pm on Saturday, 20 July 2024.
The Open Day is a free community event but visitors will require an entry ticket for crowd management and services. Tickets will not be available at the event and must be pre-purchased via OzTix
The Open Day is a great opportunity to see the latest operational aircraft and meet Australian and international air and ground crews from over 20 nations participating in Exercise Pitch Black.
Over 30 different Australian and international military aircraft will be on ground display, as well a wide range of military equipment, flight simulators, interactive exhibits, working dog displays, bomb defusal, combat engineering and logistics, military bands, ADF Cadets, Police, Rescue & Fire vehicles, and Community & Aviation groups. Please see the event map and timings below.
Food stalls, free water refills, a shaded seating area and amenities will be available throughout the day. Personal food & non-alcoholic drinks may be brought into the Open Day. Please note, BBQs, and Drones are not permitted and the Open Day is a non-smoking event.
Please also note that most food vendors will be ‘Card-only’. Merchandise from the visiting Squadrons will be predominately ‘Cash-only’ and an ATM will be available at the event.
Schedule of Events
9:00am | Show Open |
10:00am | Military Woking Dogs Tactical Handling Display – Dog Arena |
10:30am | AFP and RAAF Robot Bomb Detection and Defuse Demo – Showsite |
11:00am | Army Band of the 1ST Brigade – Band Stage |
11:30am | AFP and RAAF Robot Bomb Detection and Defuse Demo – Showsite |
12:00pm | RAAF “AV8” Rock Band – Band Stage |
12:30pm | Fire Truck Demonstration – Aircraft Tarmac |
1:00pm | Military Woking Dogs Tactical Handling Display – Dog Arena |
1:30pm | Army Band of the 1ST Brigade – Band Stage |
2:00pm | AFP and RAAF Robot Bomb Detection and Defuse Demo – Showsite |
2:30pm | RAAF “AV8” Rock Band – Exit 2 |
3:00pm | AFP and RAAF Robot Bomb Detection and Defuse Demo – Showsite |
4:00pm | Show Close |
Parking will be at the Darwin Showground which will open at 8:00 am. Coffee will be available and the first shuttle bus will depart at approximately 8:55am. The last bus will depart the Showground for the Open Day at 2:30pm to allow sufficient time to enter and enjoy the event.
Return shuttle buses will operate until 4:30pm from your choice of two areas at the event site:
- Bus Stop 1 where you arrived from the Darwin Showground, and
- Bus Stop 2 at the end of the aircraft static display area. This second bus stop will be clearly sign-posted and avoids having to walk back through the event area.
Walk-in/out pedestrian access will be available via the Water Tower on the Stuart Highway from 9am. For those using Public Buses, Taxis or RideShare, we recommend drop-off / pick-up in the vicinity of 447 Stuart Highway (water tower). The walk from the Water Tower to the event site is approximately 650 metres.
Please see the access map for further details
Please note there is no access to the Open Day via the RAAF Darwin Main Gate.
Bag-checking will be conducted at the Darwin Showgrounds or at the Water Tower.
Conditions of entry into RAAF Darwin (PDF 399KB)
Reminder, Tickets must be pre-purchased via OzTix from midday on Thursday 20 June 2024.