About
The Garma Festival is Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering, a 4-day celebration of Yolngu life and culture held in remote northeast Arnhem Land.
Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Garma showcases traditional miny’tji (art), manikay (song), bunggul (dance) and story-telling, and is an important meeting point for the clans and families of the region.
The Festival’s over-riding cultural mission is to provide a contemporary environment for the expression and presentation of traditional Yolngu knowledge systems and customs, and to share these practices in an authentic Yolngu setting.
Buy Tickets
The 23rd annual Garma Festival will take place from Friday, 2 August to Monday, 5 August 2024.
Monday, 5 August 2024 is a public Holiday in the Northern Territory for the Darwin Cup’s Picnic Day.
Tickets go on sale March 2024 and can be purchased online using a credit card.
Should you be making a corporate ticket booking of 10 or more people and require to pay by Direct Deposit, please email us at admin@garmafestival.com.au for our updated account details. Direct Deposit is only available for corporate bookings at this stage.
There are a limited number of places available for working journalists. For all enquiries relating to media registration, please email media@yyf.com.au
Organising your travel
To immerse in the full spectrum of programmed activities we recommend arriving on Thursday afternoon/evening and leaving on Tuesday morning.
Gates will open to the public at 5.30 pm on Thursday 1 August. We encourage guests to eat a meal in their transit location before getting on your flight to Gove. Please plan your travel to arrive on site after 5:30pm as we are unable to accommodate you earlier and we consider Gulkula a worksite up until this time.
Festival programming and activities commence Friday 2 August and end Monday evening at approximately 9 pm.
The official opening of the Festival commences at 4 pm Friday
The official closing of the Festival commences at 4 pm Monday
Gates will close to the public at 10 am on Tuesday, 6 August.
Protocols and Conduct
You are guests on Yolngu land and entering Yolngu time.
Yolngu perceptions, priorities and preoccupations are different from those of mainstream Australia.
Be patient and try to leave at home your expectations of how things are learnt and how events should run. Traditionally Yolngu learn by observation, by looking and listening. Asking too many questions can be inappropriate. When you have questions, choose them carefully and thoughtfully.
Respect people’s personal space, particularly in the camping areas and each guest’s tent. Sticking to the walking paths provided is important.
Get Involved
Volunteer at Garma Festival
Volunteering at Garma Festival is a rewarding experience but it is important to know that it is also very hard and physical work. It’s a competitive process and we recruit a wide and diverse skill set.
Become a Sponsor
Make Meaningful Connections
Over the years, Garma has grown from a small community BBQ to become a major fixture on the Australian event calendar, one which attracts national and international media attention.
As the nation’s premier First Nations gathering, Garma offers a unique platform to make meaningful connections with Indigenous Australia.
Sponsoring Garma is an ideal way for organisations with a strong culture of Corporate Social Responsibility to support an event with a track record of delivering real outcomes for Yolngu and other Indigenous people.
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