Healing space and strong voices at NAIDOC in the City

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures will be showcased with energetic live music and dance performances, traditional food offerings and craft workshops at a free celebration for Sydneysiders of all ages.

The City of Sydney’s annual NAIDOC in the City event is on at Hyde Park from 11am to 3pm on Saturday 13 July.

For the first time at NAIDOC in the City, a healing space will be created to promote self-care and creative expression. Jewellery-making and weaving workshops will take place in the tent and visitors will be invited to contribute to a community art mural.

This year’s national NAIDOC Week theme ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let's work together for a shared future’ reflects the three key elements set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

“This powerful NAIDOC Week theme invites us all to listen to the voice of the First Australians,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“It compels us to act now to become a truly great nation by embracing the truth of our past to lay the foundations of our shared future.

“NAIDOC in the City features strong First Nations voices sharing cultures through song, dance, speakers and art. We hope you come along and take part in different experiences throughout the day.”

Some of Australia’s top Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and dance acts will take to the stage, including Indigenous electro-pop group The Merindas, singer–songwriter Alice Skye, and hip-hop locals Nooky and Kobie Dee.

Active kids will be kept busy with traditional and hip-hop dance workshops and sports including Indigenous games, netball and hockey. More crafty kids can take part in face painting, paperbark canoe making, weaving and visual art sessions.

The giant earth oven will be fired up once again, offering a delicious feast for everyone, and visitors will have an amazing choice of food vendors including Aboriginal stalls Goanna Hut and Meat Brothers.

There will also be a range of market stalls showcasing arts and crafts, gourmet food available for purchase, while cultural exhibitors from local organisations will share engaging information and activities.

The event is part of NAIDOC Week, from 7 to 14 July. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins go back to the emergence of campaigning Aboriginal groups in the 1920s, who sought to increase awareness of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians in the wider community.

The City of Sydney proudly supports a number of community events held during NAIDOC Week.

This year the City contributed $20,000 in cash sponsorship to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, representing the newly formed Eora NAIDOC community group, to support the inaugural 2019 Eora Inner City NAIDOC Family Fun Day. The free event will be held in Redfern Park on Friday 12 July.

The City also sponsors two community run NAIDOC Week events in Woolloomooloo and Glebe through the Festivals and Events Sponsorship (Village and Community) program.

NAIDOC in the City When: 11am to 3pm, Saturday 13 July Where: Hyde Park, Sydney Cost: Free

Watch live music and dance performances on the main stage by hip-hop duo Nooky and Kobie Dee, Indigenous electro-pop group The Merindas, guitar virtuoso Chris Tamwoy, Muggera dancers and singer-songwriter Alice Skye. Enjoy a feast from the earth oven, a traditional method of cooking in an earth oven pit, using hot rocks and natural materials to seal in the heat and slow cook food for hours. Sample mouthwatering bites like crocodile san choy bau and kangaroo chilli pies from a range of food stalls throughout the day. Keep the kids busy these winter school holidays by visiting the kids’ zone, which includes dance, storytelling, paperbark canoe making, cooking, art workshops as well as zoo animals and face painting. Sporting activities include Indigenous games, netball, hockey, football, frisbee, dodgeball and yoga. Visit the healing space for weaving, jewellery making workshops. Wander through the art gallery – curated by Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative and APY Art Centre Collective – and purchase a piece or listen to an engaging talk inspired by this year’s NAIDOC Week theme. Explore the market stalls selling art, craft, jewellery and gourmet produce. Visit the cultural hub to learn about the City of Sydney’s Eora Journey and borrow books from the library’s Koori collection. Explore educational and interactive displays from the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum, UTS, the Australian Film Television & Radio School’s Indigenous Unit and the State Library of NSW.

The full program is at whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/naidoc-in-the-city

NAIDOC in the City is produced by 33creative.com.au

Learn more about NAIDOC Week at naidoc.org.au

For media inquiries or images, contact Angela Salt or Roxanne Macara on 0455 958 503 or email [email protected]

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Anusha Muller Phone 0408 494 545 or email [email protected]