all the events happening around australia this january 26th

Over the past decade, Australians have become increasingly aware of the history that surrounds January 26th. The date has only been a national public holiday since 1994, but for First Nations people, the significance of January 26th goes right back to 1788 – to the day that the British flag was raised at Sydney Cove. Since 1938, it has also been considered a Day of Mourning.

If you'd like to spend your day off standing in solidarity with First Nations Australians or appreciating Blak culture, here's a list of Invasion Day/Survival Day events that are happening around the country on January 26th. 

KEY PROTESTS AND MARCHES

Invasion Day Gadigal Land/Sydney
This protest and march kicks off at Belmore Park at 9.30am.

Invasion Day Naarm/Melbourne
The Melbourne rally will begin on the steps of Parliament at 11am.

Invasion Day Meanjin/Brisbane
Protestors will meet at the Queens Gardens at 10am for this event.

Invasion Day nipaluna/Hobart
Head to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre at 10.45am for a street march, which will be followed by an 11.45am rally at Parliament Lawns. Find the deets here.

Invasion Day Boorloo/Perth
This event will begin at 12pm at Forrest Chase.

Invasion Day Tarndanya/Adelaide
This Adelaide march will begin at 12pm, Victoria Square.

MUSIC, ART AND CULTURE

BlakPowerhouse, NSW
First Nations social enterprise We Are Warriors is hosting a night of live music, film, art, dance and photography in celebration of Blak excellence. The free event will be hosted at Sydney’s Powerhouse Ultimo, and you can find all the deets here.

Yabun Festival, NSW
Taking place at Victoria Park in Sydney, this one-day festival features live music (Tia Gostelow is headlining!), markets, panel discussions and more. If you can’t attend in person, tune in via Koori Radio 93.7FM or online at yabun.org.au.

Our Survival Day, VIC
First Nations organisation Our Songlines is hosting this event, which will take place among the hills of The Briars, Mount Martha. Our Survival Day is all about providing culturally safe entertainment and education. There’ll be good tunes, tasty eats and more. Just head here for all the info and to nab a ticket.

Share the Spirit, VIC
This free community festival, held at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, showcases First Nations music, art, craft and culture. This year’s event will be joined by heaps of talented musos, including Dan Sultan, Bumpy and Djirri Djirri. Head this way for more info.

Birak Concert, WA
Head to the Supreme Court Gardens in Perth for an arvo of music, dance and art, plus plenty of food trucks and market stalls, too. Find all the program details here.

Rubibi Survival Day, WA
Goolarri Media and Broome’s Gimmie Gimmie Club are throwing this celebration of the survival of First Nations Australians. There’ll be heaps of live music from the likes of Olive Knight, Stella Moon and more, plus food trucks and drinks on offer. Have a squiz at the event info here.

Kaylene Whiskey, 'From Comic to Canvas', NSW
To celebrate the opening of Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey’s latest solo exhibition, From Comic to Canvas, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery will host an event on the evening of January 27th. (OK – we get that this event is happening the day after January 26th, but we simply had to include it in this list.) The exhibition will run until February 25th, so there’s plenty of time for Sydney folk to check out Kaylene’s rad new work.

For more Invasion Day and Survival Day events and ceremonies, we recommend checking out this helpful list by National Indigenous Times, and this extensive round-up by The Latch.