2023 NAIDOC Week at Fed Square

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Posted 2023-06-29 by Jen ⇒ follow

Fri 30 Jun 2023 - Sun 09 Jul 2023

Fed Sq, corner Flinders and Swanston Streets is celebrating NAIDOC week from 2-9 July 2023, with various activities. Come along and celebrate First Nations culture and histories. This year's theme 'For Our Elders' highlights the importance of Elders as holders of cultural knowledge. From, now till the 9th you'll find a public portrait installation that celebrates Wurundjeri Elders on the banks of the Birrarung (Yarra River) at Fed Sq. Another to look forward to is Murnong by Talia Palmer , an ongoing audio-visual project that'll be screening at Fed Sq as an offsite event of the Gertrude Projection Festival from 2-9 July from 7-9pm daily. It'll be accompanied by a 32 minute and 32 second soundtrack that speaks to the presence of the past in our now and our future, the connection of all life and the effects of colonisation, as with the video.

However, it's the Flag Raising Ceremony on Monday 3 July from 8am to 9.30am that officially marks the beginning of NAIDOC Week in Victoria. Join in a Smoking Ceremony, Welcome to Country, and a one minute silence in honour of Aboriginal Elders who have passed to the dreaming in the last year and for all ancestors who have fought for the survival of Aboriginal people and culture. Follow given links in this article for more info about each event. For more information about official Vic NAIDOC Events, see here to register and/or buy tickets for events at other venues. Events not mentioned above include -

Thu 6 Jul - NAIDOC Pride Gala Naarm for Elders - ticketed event

Fri 7 Jul - NAIDOC March leaving from Nicholson St, Fitzroy

Sat 8 Jul - Gala Ball at the Melb Convention & Exhibition Cntr - ticketed event. If you're keen to keep the party going after the Ball , you can head to the Big Esso by Mabu Mabu After Party from 10.30pm to 3am. Bookings not required. Native cocktails and a variety of tapas is what you'll find, whilst DJ Jasmine Collins spins the decks so you can dance the night away.

There are excellent hands-on creative workshops you can join. They're all free but require booking, with some now having waitlists. You can create your own Murnong Daisy Necklace with Deanne Gilson on Wed 5 Jul 11am to 2pm; a Painted Earring Workshop with Bronwyn David on Fri 7 Jul 11am-2pm, and a Weaving Workshop with Donna Blackall on Sat 8 Jul 10am-1pm. Additionally there are two activities open to First Nations people only; and they are the KHT X NGV Community Tour on Sat 8 Jul from 11am and the Marngrook Community Workshop with Bernadette Atkinson on Thu 6 Jul 11am-1pm.

Friday 7 July from 3-6pm following the annual NAIDOC March , you'll find a stellar lineup of First Nations talent on the main stage, with performances from Shauntai Sheree, Bumpy, Mitch Tambo, Tia Gostelow and The Indigenous Outreach Projects. There'll also be a range of stalls to explore, offering deadly merch, traditional food, activities and more.

For a more laidback event, enjoy the Koorie Youth Flick Festival from 4-6 July 12pm and 3pm at the Main Square on the big screen. Please note that films may contain names, images or voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have passed away. Screening are the festival's finest works; the program including winners and honourable mentions of the 2023 festival.

Another cinema event to watch is One Night the Moon which is ticketed at just $9 ($7 for ACMI members) and will be showing 7-9 & 14-16 July at various times at ACMI. Filmed to stunning effect on Adnyamathanha land in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, it's adapted from a true story dating back to the early 1930s. Also daily at ACMI from 10m to 5pm, Two Girls from Amoonguna . Two artists recount their intertwining journeys of friendship and resilience in the Central Desert through the medium of animation. This is a free event you can drop into.