From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national access to Garma Festival  

The Yothu Yindi Foundation (YYF) and National Indigenous Television (NITV) have today announced a renewed three-year partnership to bring the Garma Festival to audiences across Australia from 2026 to 2028, building on 11 years of collaboration between the organisations.  

The partnership builds on growing national engagement with the Garma Festival and reflects a shared commitment to connecting all Australians with First Nations voices, cultures and leadership – from one of the country’s most significant Indigenous gatherings, on Yolŋu Country in northeast Arnhem Land. 

The 26^th annual Garma Festival will take place from Friday 31 July to Monday 3 August 2026 at Gulkula, Gumatj Country, bringing together First Nations leaders, political and corporate leaders, policy makers and community members from across Australia and around the world. It provides a globally recognised platform for agenda-setting debate on issues impacting First Nations people and of national significance to all Australians, while also celebrating the culture, ceremony, visual art, dance, music, and storytelling of the Yolŋu people. This year’s theme is ‘Bukmak’ (Everyone) and is an invitation to all to come together and celebrate the diversity of modern Australia and embrace the universal connections that bind us together. 

As the supporting media partner, NITV is proud to continue supporting YYF, giving audiences a front-row seat across four days, delivering multiplatform and multilingual coverage from a uniquely First Nations perspective.  NITV will provide comprehensive coverage of Garma, with extensive coverage of the buŋgul cultural ceremony and all the festival’s key moments, keynote speeches and highlights. NITV News and SBS World News will provide daily updates bringing context to Indigenous affairs for Australian audiences. Programming will span live reporting, news, pivotal conversations and the iconic cultural ceremony of Garma, across television, digital and radio giving audiences across the country greater access to the Garma Festival than ever before. 

For the fifth consecutive year, SBS Audio will broadcast from the festival in multiple languages, with Mandarin and Arabic representatives on the ground. News and insights from the festival will be shared across the SBS Audio network in more than 60 languages, helping connect diverse Australian communities with First Nations perspectives and experiences.  

Yothu Yindi Foundation CEO Denise Bowden said: “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: “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.”  

General Manager of NITV, Dan Bourchier said: “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.”   

Each year, NITV and SBS’s coverage of Garma contributes to the organisation’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan commitments, highlighting the important role media can play in building understanding and connection between First Nations peoples and the broader Australian community.  

Image caption: A Red Flag dancer from Numbulwar performing ceremony. Photo credit Peter Eve

For further information, please contact:  
Jessica Parry | 0428 767 836 | jessica.parrry@sbs.com.au  
Emma Blong | 0421 008 517 | emma.blong@sbs.com.au 

For a PDF copy of this media release, click here