NAIDOC in the City delivers a powerhouse lineup of music, culture and community this July.
The City of Melbourne’s NAIDOC Week celebrations mark a monumental milestone in 2025, commemorating 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture and resilience. From its origins as a Day of Mourning protest in 1938 to today’s week-long national celebration, NAIDOC Week has evolved into Australia’s most important annual recognition of First Nations peoples.
NAIDOC in the City takes centre stage at Fed Square on Friday 11 July, featuring a powerhouse lineup that spans electronic music pioneers to emerging Indigenous talent, all wrapped up in a day-long celebration of the oldest continuous living cultures on earth.
This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, reflects powerfully on past achievements while celebrating the promise of the future. The festival runs from 1pm to 6pm, transforming Fed Square into a vibrant hub of First Nations culture, music and community connection.
NAIDOC Week 2025
- When: Sunday 6 July to Sunday 13 July
- NAIDOC in the City: Friday 11 July, 1pm to 6pm, Main Stage, Fed Square
- NAIDOC Week reading parties: Monday 7 July (City Library), Tuesday 8 July (North Melbourne Library, Kathleen Syme Library), Wednesday 9 July (Library at The Dock), Thursday 10 July (Southbank Library)
- Bunjil educational workshop: Tuesday 8 July, 9am to 10am, narrm ngarrgu Library
- Generations of Story panel: Tuesday 8 July, 5.45pm to 7pm, narrm ngarrgu Library
- JESWRI: Beyond Hectic exhibition: Wednesday 9 July to Sunday 3 August, Library at The Dock
- Native Botanical Painting: Wednesday 9 July, 5.30pm to 8.30pm, narrm ngarrgu Library
- Library Cinema screening: Thursday 10 July, 4.15pm to 6.15pm, narrm ngarrgu Library
- Tickets: All events free, some require bookings
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
NAIDOC in the City
The musical lineup reads like a who’s who of contemporary Indigenous talent, headlined by ARIA-winning electronic duo Electric Fields. Known for their groundbreaking fusion of electronic music with traditional Yankunytjatjara language and culture, Electric Fields have become one of Australia’s most internationally recognised acts, thanks to their standout Eurovision performance last year. Their live performances (ARIA Best Live Act nominees, no less) blend ancient songlines with cutting-edge production, creating something uniquely powerful and utterly contemporary.
Supporting the headline act, fellow Eurovision star Isaiah Firebrace brings his soaring vocals and stage presence to the Fed Square main stage. Scott Darlow, Cerulean delivering a special DJ set, Canisha, The Violet Summers and Koori Youth Will Shake Spears round out a diverse lineup that spans genres and generations.
Market and community celebrations
Beyond the main stage performances, the Koorie Heritage Trust’s vibrant NAIDOC Week Market brings the celebration to life with colour, creativity and community.
The market features more than 20 First Peoples stallholders showcasing art, craft, design, fashion, jewellery and much more. Each item tells a story of Country – community, identity, and resilience – offering visitors a rare opportunity to connect with culture directly.
But this isn’t just a place to browse and buy. The market is deeply immersive, encouraging visitors of all ages to take part in a program of free, family-friendly workshops.
There will also be a welcoming Elders Lounge and Quiet Space – a dedicated area for reflection and connection.
Libraries join the celebration
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Melbourne’s library network extends NAIDOC Week celebrations across the city with an impressive array of programming designed to engage readers, families and cultural enthusiasts. NAIDOC Week reading parties at five different library locations offer cosy gatherings complete with hot drinks, cushions and carefully curated selections of picture books, junior fiction and adult literature from Indigenous authors.
The Bunjil educational workshop at narrm ngarrgu Library provides children with an immersive hour-long experience of Wurundjeri culture through storytelling, Dreamtime narratives, language, song and dance. This hands-on approach helps young participants understand the richness and complexity of the world’s oldest continuous culture in ways that resonate and inspire.
Generations of Story with Evelyn Araluen and guests presents a unique panel discussion featuring three generations of Victorian First Peoples storytellers. The event explores how Indigenous knowledges, stories and experiences exist relationally across land and ancestors, shared through generations in forms that bind First Nations peoples to their Country and community.
Art, workshops and film
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Visual arts take centre stage with JESWRI: Beyond Hectic, a raw and reflective exhibition at Library at The Dock that captures an artist navigating survival, storytelling and self-expression under pressure. The exhibition runs from 9 July to 3 August, providing an extended opportunity for visitors to engage with contemporary Indigenous artistic expression.
Native Botanical Painting with Palawa artist Josh Deane offers participants the chance to explore Australia’s native botanicals using watercolours and ink. All supplies are provided, and participants take home their own artwork, creating lasting connections between artistic practice and country. These workshops fill quickly, so make sure to book in fast.
Library Cinema screening of In My Blood it Runs provides a powerful documentary experience, following 10-year-old Dujuan, a child-healer, hunter and speaker of three languages. The film showcases the spark and intelligence of young First Peoples, while highlighting the complex world they navigate between traditional knowledge and contemporary education systems.
Literary celebrations
Two specially curated reading lists add literary depth to NAIDOC Week celebrations, featuring selections from accomplished writers Ari Mills and Elijah Money.
Ari Mills, a proud Kuku Yalanji and Murrinh Patha writer and poet, focuses on community, queerness and Black liberation through truth-telling narratives that explore Black queer love stories.
Elijah Money, a proud Wiradjuri queer brotherboy, brings his multidisciplinary creative practice spanning visual art, writing, creative producing, workshops, MCing and drag performance. His reading selections reflect his commitment to celebrating First Peoples’ queer joy while fostering spaces of empowerment through storytelling and self-expression.
Both curated lists are available through Melbourne’s library catalogue system, making sure readers can access these carefully chosen works throughout NAIDOC Week and beyond.
For more information, head here.
