Thousands are expected to gather in remote northeast Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, this weekend for the annual Garma Festival.
Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation (YYF), the four-day event celebrates the life, culture, and contributions of the Yolŋu people.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival, founded in 1999 by Yolŋu elder Yunupingu and his brother.
What is Garma?
Garma is a Yolŋu Matha word meaning ‘two-way learning’.
The festival involves music, art, film, education, and political discussion.
It draws on the long history of Yolŋu leaders’ political activism, such as the 1963 petition to the House of Representatives to oppose a decision to put a bauxite mine on their land.
The petition, written on bark, was a significant early chapter in the land rights struggle.
The 2025 theme
This year’s theme is “Rom ga Waŋa Wataŋu,” meaning “The Law of the Land, Standing Firm”. It is a tribute to “the event’s history of accomplishment”.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
In a statement announcing the theme, YYF CEO Denise Bowden said the festival “continues to play a vital educational role — helping Australians better understand Yolngu culture, and ensuring its practices remain strong and are passed down from one generation to the next.”
Politics
Each year, the festival hosts a conference for politicians and advisers to discuss issues impacting Yolŋu and other First Nations communities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy are expected to attend.
This year, Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser is expected to represent the Coalition. Leeser has attended in previous years, including when former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton did not.
Closing the gap
The festival comes a day after an annual progress report from the Productivity Commission showed most Closing the Gap targets are not on track to be met.
The Uluru Dialogue, the authors of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, described Garma as a “performative opportunity for the Government to repeat their talking points”.
“We are tired of being told, yet again, that there is no progress on Closing the Gap, there is more to do, there is more data to get, there are more bureaucrats to convince, more departments
to get on board, more to persuade.”
