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.”
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.
The network’s comprehensive coverage includes:
NITV News: Nula
3-3.30pm, Friday 1 August
Simulcast live on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Join Natalie Ahmat and the NITV News team for a special edition of Nula, broadcast live from the 25th Garma Festival at Gulkula, in northeast Arnhem Land. Nula will provide a preview of
events and insights into the issues and ideas to be discussed across the following days of the festival, with interviews, explainers, profiles, and stories from the local region.
Garma Opening Ceremony
4-5.30pm, Friday 1 August
Simulcast live on NITV, SBS, SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat and John Paul Janke for the official opening ceremony launching a special 25th anniversary Garma Festival, rich in spirit, truth-telling, and the unbreakable connection to land and culture. The ceremony brings together Yolŋu leaders, community members, and special guests to mark this milestone moment. This year’s Garma theme,
‘Law of the Land: Standing Firm’, reflects the strength, resilience, and cultural authority of the Yolŋu people. The opening ceremony features heartfelt speeches and reflections, followed by a vibrant buŋgul, where miny’tji (art), manikay (song), dance, and story come together in a moving expression of identity and law. It’s also an important gathering for clans and families from across the region.
Garma Buŋgul
9-10am, Saturday 2 August, Sunday 3 August, and Monday 4 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of northeast Arnhem Land, this daily program captures the spirit of Yolŋu ceremony through miny’tji (art), manikay (song), dance and storytelling, which takes place as the sun sets at the festival each afternoon. The buŋgul is a powerful cultural expression, where ancient knowledge, deep connection to Country, and ancestral stories are shared through rhythm, movement, and song. Filmed on Yolŋu Country with cultural authority, this program offers audiences a rare and respectful window into the world’s oldest living culture. Each episode takes viewers on a journey, showcasing the rich traditions of Yolŋu clans as they share ceremonial dances passed down through generations. NITV’s special daily program explores the cultural meaning behind each buŋgul, offering insight into the songlines, law, and kinship systems that shape Yolŋu life.
Garma Forums
10am-12pm and 1.30-3.30pm, Saturday 2 August
Simulcast live on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat, John Paul Janke, and Michael Rennie for NITV’s live coverage of the Garma Festival forums, broadcasting from the Garrtjambal Auditorium in Gulkula. The forums are a powerful platform where First Nations voices take centre stage, bringing together community leaders, Elders, academics, politicians, and young people for deep and thought-provoking conversations about the future of this nation. NITV brings viewers the most important speeches and panels, capturing powerful moments from Yolŋu leaders, the Yothu Yindi Foundation, and national figures including the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP. With expert commentary and cultural insight, NITV’s Garma Forums coverage invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage with the issues that matter most to First Nations communities.
Garma 2025: 25 Years Strong
10am-12pm, Sunday 3 August
Simulcast live on NITV. SBS and SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat and John Paul Janke for a special two-hour program celebrating 25 years of the Garma Festival. This commemorative broadcast will take audiences on a powerful journey through the heart of Yolŋu Country, showcasing the vibrancy, resilience, and legacy of the festival. Blending panel discussions with unforgettable live performances and the best of the buŋgul, the program will reflect on Garma’s extraordinary history and its role in shaping the national conversation on culture, identity, and self-determination. Featuring trailblazers, artists, community leaders, and special guests, the broadcast will honour those who laid the foundations of Garma and continue to carry its spirit forward.
The Best of Garma 2025
6pm, Monday 4 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Hosted by Natalie Ahmat, this 30-minute recap program of highlights from Garma Festival will include all the key moments from four-days of celebration and reflection.
