NITV and Yothu Yindi Foundation lock in new three-year Garma Festival partnership
The Yothu Yindi Foundation and National Indigenous Television (NITV) have renewed their partnership to deliver national coverage of the Garma Festival for a further three years, extending the collaboration through to 2028.
The agreement builds on an 11-year relationship between the organisations and aims to expand audience access to one of Australia’s most significant Indigenous cultural and political gatherings, held on Yolŋu Country in northeast Arnhem Land.
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The 26th annual Garma Festival will be staged at Gulkula, Gumatj Country, from Friday 31 July to Monday 3 August 2026.
Each year the event brings together First Nations leaders, politicians, corporate representatives, policymakers and community members from around Australia and overseas.
The festival is recognised as a platform for discussions on issues affecting First Nations communities and broader national matters, while also showcasing Yolŋu culture through ceremony, music, dance, storytelling and visual art.
This year’s theme, ‘Bukmak’ (Everyone), is intended as an invitation for Australians to come together and celebrate diversity and shared connection.
As part of the renewed arrangement, NITV will continue as supporting media partner, delivering coverage across television, digital, radio and multilingual platforms.
Audiences will have access to coverage of the festival’s buŋgul cultural ceremony, keynote addresses, major discussions and highlights across the four-day event.
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NITV News and SBS World News will also provide daily updates and reporting from the festival.
For the fifth consecutive year, SBS Audio will broadcast from Garma in multiple languages, including coverage from Mandarin and Arabic representatives attending the festival. Content from the event will also be distributed across the SBS Audio network in more than 60 languages.
Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said the broadcaster had played an important role in sharing the event with wider audiences.
“NITV has been a long-standing partner of YYF for more than a decade, and, together with SBS, plays a vital role sharing the Garma experience with audiences across Australia and overseas.
“This new three-year agreement strengthens our partnership even further, and ensures that diverse communities throughout the nation and beyond can continue to tap into all that is taking place at Gulkula over the four days – the ceremonies, the culture, and the important conversations about policy.”
SBS Director of First Nations Tanya Denning-Orman said the partnership reflected increasing engagement with the festival from Australian audiences.
“Garma is one of the most significant political and cultural gatherings in Australia, grounded in the authority of Yolŋu people on Country, and shaped by generations of knowledge, ceremony and leadership.
“It is where some of the most important conversations about this nation take place and for more than a decade, our partnership with the Yothu Yindi Foundation has been built on trust, respect and a shared commitment to ensuring these voices and perspectives reach all Australians.
“This new three-year partnership strengthens that commitment, reflecting the growing engagement from Australians we’ve seen through our coverage, and the opportunity to deepen that connection.
“We’re proud to continue bringing the culture, ideas and conversations at the heart of Garma to more Australians through NITV and SBS.”
NITV General Manager Dan Bourchier said the broadcaster remained focused on delivering coverage grounded in community and culture.
“Garma is the place where culture, leadership and national conversations come together – and our role is to carry those experiences from Gulkula to homes and audiences across our nation, through coverage that is immediate, accessible and true to community.
“My first experience of Garma was as a junior NITV reporter in 2011 – and I’ve felt fortunate to report and visit most Garma’s since then.
“Coming back in this role with NITV is such an honour. I can’t wait.
“With NITV approaching its 20th anniversary in 2027, this partnership ensures we continue to meet that moment – sharing stories with audiences around Australia that are led by community and grounded in culture.”
The annual coverage also forms part of NITV and SBS’s commitments under their Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan, with the organisations stating the partnership helps foster understanding between First Nations peoples and the wider Australian community.
The 26th annual Garma Festival will take place from Friday 31 July to Monday 3 August 2026 at Gulkula, Gumatj Country in northeast Arnhem Land, with coverage across NITV, SBS, SBS Audio and digital platforms.
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