As Garma celebrates its 25th anniversary this year from 1-4 August, NITV and SBS will deliver comprehensive, multiplatform, and multilingual coverage across the four-day event, giving all Australians a front row seat for all the agenda-setting conversations and an iconic celebration of Yolŋu culture.
Here's how you can watch every piece of Garma 2025 coverage on SBS, NITV and SBS On Demand this year.
The following broadcast times are AEST.
Garma Opening Ceremony
4-5.30pm, Friday 1 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS, SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat and John Paul Janke for the official opening ceremony launching a special 25th anniversary Garma Festival, rich in spirit, truth-telling, and the unbreakable connection to land and culture. The ceremony brings together Yolŋu leaders, community members, and special guests to mark this milestone moment.
This year’s Garma theme, ‘Law of the Land: Standing Firm’, reflects the strength, resilience, and cultural authority of the Yolŋu people. The opening ceremony features heartfelt speeches and reflections, followed by a vibrant buŋgul, where miny’tji (art), manikay (song), dance, and story come together in a moving expression of identity and law. It’s also an important gathering for clans and families from across the region.
NITV News: Nula
3-3.30pm, Friday 1 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Join Natalie Ahmat and the NITV News team for a special edition of Nula, broadcast live from the 25th Garma Festival at Gulkula, in northeast Arnhem Land. Nula will provide a preview of events and insights into the issues and ideas to be discussed across the following days of the festival, with interviews, explainers, profiles, and stories from the local region.
Garma Buŋgul
9-10am, Saturday 2 August, Sunday 3 August, and Monday 4 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of northeast Arnhem Land, this daily program captures the spirit of Yolŋu ceremony through miny’tji (art), manikay (song), dance and storytelling, which takes place as the sun sets at the festival each afternoon. The buŋgul is a powerful cultural expression, where ancient knowledge, deep connection to Country, and ancestral stories are shared through rhythm, movement, and song.
Filmed on Yolŋu Country with cultural authority, this program offers audiences a rare and respectful window into the world’s oldest living culture. Each episode takes viewers on a journey, showcasing the rich traditions of Yolŋu clans as they share ceremonial dances passed down through generations. NITV’s special daily program explores the cultural meaning behind each buŋgul, offering insight into the songlines, law, and kinship systems that shape Yolŋu life.
Garma Forums
10am-12pm and 1.30-3.30pm, Saturday 2 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat, John Paul Janke, and Michael Rennie for NITV’s live coverage of the Garma Festival forums, broadcasting from the Garrtjambal Auditorium in Gulkula. The forums are a powerful platform where First Nations voices take centre stage, bringing together community leaders, Elders, academics, politicians, and young people for deep and thought-provoking conversations about the future of this nation.
NITV brings viewers the most important speeches and panels, capturing powerful moments from Yolŋu leaders, the Yothu Yindi Foundation, and national figures including the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP. With expert commentary and cultural insight, NITV’s Garma Forums coverage invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage with the issues that matter most to First Nations communities.
Garma 2025: 25 Years Strong
10am-12pm, Sunday 3 August
Simulcast on NITV. SBS and SBS On Demand
Join hosts Natalie Ahmat and John Paul Janke for a special two-hour program celebrating 25 years of the Garma Festival. This commemorative broadcast will take audiences on a
powerful journey through the heart of Yolŋu Country, showcasing the vibrancy, resilience, and legacy of the festival. Blending panel discussions with unforgettable live performances and the best of the buŋgul, the program will reflect on Garma’s extraordinary history and its role in shaping the national conversation on culture, identity, and self-determination.
Featuring trailblazers, artists, community leaders, and special guests, the broadcast will honour those who laid the foundations of Garma and continue to carry its spirit forward.
The Best of Garma 2025
6pm, Monday 4 August
Simulcast on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand
Hosted by Natalie Ahmat, this 30-minute recap program of highlights from Garma Festival will include all the key moments from four-days of celebration and reflection.
