NITV and SBS to celebrate the significance and spectacle of the 25th Garma Festival

SBS Australia

6 days ago

As the Garma Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year from 1-4 August, NITV and SBS will deliver comprehensive, multiplatform, and multilingual coverage across the four-day event, giving all Australians a front row seat for all the agenda-setting conversations and an iconic celebration of Yolŋu culture. Taking place in Gulkula, northeast Arnhem Land, the Garma Festival is one of Australia's largest Indigenous gatherings and most significant Indigenous affairs forum. Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, the event brings together political leaders, policy makers, corporate leaders, and community representatives. It provides a globally recognised platform for debate about issues affecting First Nations people, while also celebrating the culture, ceremony, visual art, dance, music, and storytelling of the Yolŋu people. In 2025, NITV returns to Gulkula as Media Supporter for the tenth year, to provide its unique First Nations focussed coverage of the festival. Together with SBS, it will be sharing all the key forums, major announcements, and highlights like the Opening Ceremony and the daily buŋgul (traditional dance), with a national audience across the network. The event will also be shared with global audiences through the World Indigenous Broadcasting Network.
'Each year, the Yolŋu people open their arms and their hearts to more than 2,500 people at Gulkula, and we're honoured to extend that invitation to all Australians through our coverage of this significant event,' said Tanya Denning-Orman, SBS Director of First Nations. 'This year we will deliver more of the key moments and ceremonial spectacle of the Garma Festival across our platforms than ever before, as we continue to grow and expand our coverage across the entire SBS network, led by NITV as the official Media Supporter. We will ensure you don't miss a moment and are proud to be delivering unparalleled access for every Australian, and around the world. 'This 25-year milestone for the Garma Festival is also an opportunity to reflect on the event's significance, legacy, and impact. We'll also highlight this history and celebrate the many achievements of Yolŋu leaders and the strengths of the region.'
Natalie Ahmat from NITV News at Garma Festival
Daily live coverage, updates, and highlights – including a two-hour live special on Sunday 3 August from 10am - will be presented by NITV's Indigenous News and Current Affairs team including Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs, Natalie Ahmat; SBS National Indigenous Affairs Editor and host of The Point, John Paul Janke; NITV News Presenter and Senior Producer, Michael Rennie; and more. In addition to NITV and SBS's live simulcast of key events, SBS News will report from Garma, providing updates on SBS World News and its platforms, with Chief Political Correspondent, Anna Henderson, on the ground. SBS will also provide unique multilingual coverage with representatives from SBS's Chinese and Arabic teams also reporting from Gulkula, with news and insights to feature across the SBS Audio network in more than 60 languages, in addition to NITV Radio. NITV Muy Ngulayg on SBS On Demand will be the home for all Garma Festival content, with audiences able to tune into live streams, as well as catch up on all the forums and speeches, buŋgul, and NITV News' programs. You can visit the NITV Muy Ngulag collection HERE .