NAIDOC Week is back for 2023. This annual celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is an Australia-wide event and one that we can all stand to learn from.
For this year, the theme for NAIDOC Week is For Our Elders, and according to the official website, this theme is rooted in an acknowledgement that First Nations Elders “are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones”.
“We draw strength from their knowledge and experience, in everything from land management, cultural knowledge to justice and human rights. Across multiple sectors like health, education, the arts, politics and everything in between, they have set the many courses we follow,” it reads.
If you’re wondering how you can get involved in NAIDOC Week for 2023, here’s a quick guide to what’s on this year.
When is NAIDOC Week 2023?
NAIDOC Week for 2023 kicks off on July 2 and runs until July 9.
The celebrations will kick off with the annual National NAIDOC Week Awards Ceremony, in which a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be recognised for their contributions to society.
How to celebrate NAIDOC Week
There are loads of brilliant events running in 2023 to celebrate NAIDOC Week. You can find a running list of what’s on across the week here. But we’ve also pulled out a handful of events we think sound particularly interesting.
Some examples include:
- Eco-dyeing and bush tucker workshop: Curl Curl, NSW – Saturday, July 1, 2023 – 10:30 to 13:15
- NAIDOC Family Day: Bankstown, NSW – Saturday, July 1, 2023 – 10:00 to 15:00
- MEGAfauna: Canberra, ACT – Saturday, July 1, 2023 – 08:30 to Sunday, July 30, 2023 – 17:00
- From our Elders: Ringwood, VIC – Friday, May 26, 2023 – 09:45 to Sunday, July 9, 2023 – 17:00
- Shadow Spirit: Melbourne, VIC – Wednesday, June 7, 2023 – 10:00 to Sunday, July 30, 2023 – 18:00
- NAIDOC Runway: Palmerston, NT – Saturday, June 24, 2023 – 13:45 to Wednesday, July 5, 2023 – 13:00
- It’s all about the Past: Wanneroo, WA – Wednesday, June 28, 2023 – 10:00 to 12:30
- Native Flora and Fauna Bush Stories: Ballajura, WA – Thursday, June 29, 2023 – 12:00 to 14:00
- NAIDOC Up Late: Trailblazers: Sydney, NSW – Saturday, July 1, 2023 – 13:00 to 22:00
- NAIDOC WEEK Hands Art Installations: Officer, VIC – Sunday, July 2, 2023 – 09:00 to Sunday, July 9, 2023 – 17:00
- Nragi Muthar/The Deadly Nannas: Adelaide, SA – Sunday, July 2, 2023 – 12:00 to 13:00
- Screening: You Can Go Now!: The Rocks, Sydney – Sunday, July 2, 2023 – 13:00 to 14:30 and Werribee, VIC – Sunday, July 2, 2023 – 14:00 to 16:30
Want more?
How about some First Nations tunes?
There will no doubt be a long list of music events being held this NAIDOC Week by the First Nations community, but while we wait, you can check out this Blak Australia playlist curated by Emily Nicol Cover and Thelma Plum.
This article has been updated since its original publish date to reflect the events running for NAIDOC Week 2023.
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