NITV And SBS To Bring Garma Festival To Audiences Nationwide

NITV and SBS will deliver extensive access to the Garma Festival from 31 July to 3 August, offering audiences around Australia comprehensive coverage across television, streaming, digital, audio and social platforms.

The 2026 theme, Bukmak (Everyone), highlights unity, diversity and connection, inviting people nationwide to engage with one of the country’s most important First Nations cultural gatherings.

Programming will include keynote forums, major announcements and cultural highlights, with cameras capturing the iconic Buŋgul ceremony alongside speeches and discussions from leading voices. Held on Gumatj Country in northeast Arnhem Land and hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Garma is Australia’s largest Indigenous cultural gathering and a central forum for national dialogue on Indigenous affairs, uniting leaders from government, business, academia and community with a celebration of Yolŋu culture, ceremony, art, dance, music and storytelling.

As Supporting Media Partner, NITV continues its longstanding collaboration with the Yothu Yindi Foundation to ensure First Nations stories and cultural expression from Garma reach audiences across the nation.

Tanya Denning-Orman, SBS Director of First Nations, said: “Garma is a place of First Nations cultural strength, authority and exchange, where some of the most important conversations in this country take place.

Daily live updates and highlights will be led by NITV’s Indigenous News and Current Affairs team: Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs, Natalie Ahmat (Mudburra and Wagadagam); SBS National Indigenous Affairs Editor and The Point host, John Paul Janke (Wuthathi and Meriam); and NITV News Presenter and Senior Producer, Michael Rennie (Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara). SBS News’ Chief Political Correspondent, Anna Henderson, will report from the festival across SBS World News and digital platforms.

For the fifth consecutive year, SBS Audio will broadcast from Garma in multiple languages, with Helen Chen reporting for SBS Chinese and Dilpreet Taggar for SBS South Asian. Alongside NITV Radio, SBS Audio will share news, insights and conversations that connect Australia’s diverse communities with First Nations stories and perspectives. As part of the Australia Explained series, SBS Audio will also publish a ‘What is Garma?’ article and audio explainer in more than 50 languages, introducing multilingual audiences to the event’s history, significance and enduring cultural importance.

NITV on SBS On Demand will serve as the central hub for Garma content, enabling audiences to watch live streams and catch up on forums, speeches, ceremonies and special programming throughout the festival. The coverage furthers SBS’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan commitments by building understanding, connection and respect between First Nations peoples and the broader Australian community.