Live music, a traditional earth oven, kid’s activities and workshops with Sydney FC players are some of the attractions on offer to celebrate NAIDOC Week in Sydney.
Returning to Hyde Park on 4 July 2016, NAIDOC in the City is expected to attract more than 7,500 people to the city centre to celebrate and share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Entertainment will be focused on the main stage with a range of exciting, original music and dance acts performing throughout the day. There will be a marketplace featuring arts and crafts, food stalls and information stands.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the event was a great opportunity for everyone to celebrate the world’s oldest living culture through live music, dance, food and art.
“NAIDOC in the City is a chance for all Sydneysiders to learn about the rich culture and enjoy the entertainment and activities on offer from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The celebration is also a time to remember the Elders past and present who have worked tirelessly to preserve and keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture alive and well in Sydney.”
NAIDOC Week, from 3–10 July, is a national program that celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups seeking rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australians in the 1920s.
The theme for NAIDOC Week 2016 is Songlines: The Living Narrative of Our Nation. The themegives all Australians the opportunity to learn about the Dreamtime when the earth, people and animals were created by ancestral spiritual beings who created the rivers, lakes, plants, land formations and living creatures.
Dreaming tracks criss-cross Australia and trace the journeys of ancestral spirits as they created the land. These dreaming tracks are sometimes called songlines, as they record the travels of ancestral spirits who sung the land into life.
NAIDOC in the City, Monday 4 July, Hyde Park North
NAIDOC in the City is produced by 33creative.com.au
Entertainment
Don’t miss NAIDOC in the City’s Opening Ceremony with a Welcome to Country led by Uncle Chicka Madden, accompanied by a traditional smoking ceremony led by Matthew Doyle.
Live music performances will feature on the main stage, with a talented line-up stretching from hip-hop, soul and pop, including headliner Radical Son, Redfern-based reggae fusion group Green Hand Band and 15-year-old singer songwriter Mi’Kaisha.
Earth Oven
NAIDOC in the City’s traditional earth oven was introduced to the program two years ago and it’s back again to feed the masses. The interactive feasting style is designed to give people a taste of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander foods.
Earth ovens are a traditional method of cooking underground using hot rocks and natural materials to seal in the heat and slow cook food for hours. The food is marinated overnight in traditional sauces and rubs, then steamed, roasted and barbecued all at once in the earth ovens.
Cultural Exhibits and Tours
Whether it’s learning to cook with native produce, meeting a critter, or taking a pedal powered tour of Sydney’s rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, there’s plenty to enjoy at the Art and Culture Zone.
Learn about the City of Sydney’s Eora Journey – a program to encourage greater recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and improved economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
You can also explore exhibits by Australian Museum, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Observatory, Eora TAFE, Royal Botanic Gardens, ANTar, Aboriginal Land Council, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and Indigilah.
Marketplace
Come along to NAIDOC's marketplace to buy local Aboriginal art, craft and produce. Some of the great stalls include:
- Hats, hoodies, t-shirts and picture books from AIME;
- Didgeridoos, boomerangs and paintings from Sandhill Artefacts;
- Delicious foods such as preserves and relishes featuring native plants from Bakarindi Bushfoods; and
- Clothing and accessories from Clinton Wright Clothing.
This will be a great place to take the little ones during the July school holidays. The kids can look forward to the following activities:
- Storytelling with award winning Aboriginal author Dr. Anita Heiss;
- Cultural workshops with Matthew Doyle;
- Dance workshops with the team from NAISDA and Jax and Daz from Muggera Dancers;
- Language workshops with Indigenous artist Deborah Lennis;
- Bush tucker sessions with Koori Kinnections Jess Sinnott;
- Basket weaving workshops with the Bilinudgel Weavers and Murra Murra Weaving Demonstrations;
- Taronga Zoo’s Zoomobile;
- City of Sydney’s Libraries Program;
- NRL One Community Team skills workshop; and
- Sydney FC MiniRoos workshops.
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Publicist Elaine Kelly on 0477 362 550or ekelly@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0499 319 385 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au