NAIDOC Week at Fed Square

The annual Flag Raising Ceremony marks the official beginning of NAIDOC Week in Victoria, bringing together community members to honour the strength, survival, and ongoing cultural legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Koorie Youth Flick Fest is an annual short filmmaking competition for First Nations young people, aged 25 years and under, who live in Central Victoria.

A free celebration of music, culture, and community, featuring live music, a vibrant KHT First Peoples makers’ market, free creative workshops, kids’ activities, food trucks and an Elders’ Lounge and quiet space. The powerhouse line-up includes Electric Fields, Isaiah Firebrace, Scott Darlow, Canisha and The Violet Summers. All welcome.

Discover over 20 First Peoples stallholders, including Clothing The Gaps, Haus of Dizzy, KaToBi, Kevin Williams Art Gallery, Mob Melts, and Wickey Creations, among other incredible makers. This vibrant market coincides with the NAIDOC in the City free concert, presented by City of Melbourne at Fed Square.

Celebrate culture, community and connection with free family screenings of Little J & Big Cuz. Come in from the cold, grab a hot drink and some popcorn, and enjoy this award-winning animated series that follows the adventures of Little J, Big Cuz and their lovable pup, Old Dog.

Wander through Fed Square, along Birrarung Marr Walk or the Edge Terrace looking out to the river, to hear wurrung dhumbunganjinu (we speak language) – a sound work created by Wurundjeri artist and language specialist Brooke Wandin. You’ll hear the voices of Brooke and her family, sharing and revitalising woiwurrung language, as they tell the story of the Birrarung river, its place names across Country, and the way it flows. An accompanying video artwork also screens each day between 6pm and 7pm on the Big Screen.

Explore First Peoples stories through screen, with a program of short films and a documentary about political activist Robbie Thorpe, on at ACMI during NAIDOC Week.

This year’s NAIDOC Week Shorts program showcases First Peoples’ stories from across the nation.

Explore the legacy of Krauatungalung (Gurnai) and Djapwurrung (Gunditjmara) political activist Robbie Thorpe in this powerful documentary.

In addition to the KHT NAIDOC Week Market as part of NAIDOC in the City, visit KHT during NAIDOC Week to explore free exhibitions or to participate in workshops or tours.

Coming Home is a solo exhibition of works by artist Dr Jenny Murray-Jones (Yorta Yorta and Baraparapa). Her work offers a poignant exploration of family reconnection, delving into themes of Country, Kinship, and the enduring impact of colonisation and institutional life. Free entry.

Connections to Home is the first solo exhibition by revered Barkindji and Ngiyampaa Elder, Uncle Colin (Col) Clark. This exhibition showcases fifty of Uncle Col’s crafted artworks, including spears, shields, clubs, tapping sticks, digging sticks, boomerangs, didgeridoos, painted emu eggs, bowls, and paintings created over the past 20 years. Free entry.

Discover some of the fascinating local Aboriginal history and heritage of the land around Fed Square on a First Peoples-led walking tour, at KHT. You’ll meet at Koorie Heritage Trust, before heading through the Square to discover the significance of the Tanderrum trees. The walk will take you down to Birrarung Marr Walk, where you’ll learn about the “river of mists”, and hear some of the ancient stories of the people of the Kulin Nation.

KHT’s Cultural Competency and Cultural Safety workshops offer a thoughtful and engaging approach to building understanding and respectful relationships with Victorian First Peoples. The workshops are designed to be both practical and personal, leveraging the lived experiences of trained First Peoples facilitators to create a safe and inclusive learning environment.

During NAIDOC Week, NGV Australia will offer free exhibition tours and creative workshops, and kids go free to Cats & Dogs.

During the school holidays, kids can get in for FREE when an adult buys a ticket. Bring your family and explore the amazing world of cats and dogs together. During NAIDOC Week, you can discover artwork featuring camp dogs and dingos, and don’t forget to check out the drop in workshop where you can make your own furry headband.

Join Ngarrindjeri artist Emma Stenhouse for a drop-in family-friendly creative workshop. Learn about a traditional story from Ngarrindjeri Country about Pondi/Ponde – the ancestral river cod who shaped the winding curves of the Murray River with his mighty tail – then create your own fish inspired by this story.

Step inside Bark Salon, an exhibition of over 150 bark paintings, hung from floor to ceiling at NGV Australia. Learn about these First Nations artworks painted on the bark of stringybark trees and how they are made and cared for in this fun and educational talk for all ages with NGV Curator of Australian and First Nations Art, Michael Gentle and NGV Conservator of Indigenous Art, Genevieve Sullivan.

Nurture your child’s imagination and love of reading in a story time led Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri artist and educator Tania Rossi. Children of all ages and their families are invited to join Tania as she reads some of her favourite children’s picture books by First Nations authors.

Visit the Cats & Dogs exhibition to discover First Nations sculptures of camp dogs full of character, then drop into this free workshop where you can make your own furry friend headband.

Journey across Fed Square on this tour for all ages visiting the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and KHT. Meet at NGV and start with a tour of First Nations artworks in the NGV Collection, then head over to KHT to join Curatorial Manager, Gail Harradine and Yorta Yorta, Baraparapa, Wiradjuri artist Jenny Murrary-Jones to tour her solo exhibition Coming Home before having a yarn over afternoon tea.

Wurrdha Marra means ‘many mobs’ in the Wurundjeri woi-wurrung language. This permanent yet dynamic exhibition space at NGV Australia presents familiar works from the NGV’s collection of First Nations Australian art and design, displayed alongside new acquisitions. Explore the over 150 works in the extraordinary Bark Salon, and check out the NGV’s website to explore the stories behind many of the works.