Garma Festival 2025

This year I was privileged to be invited to photograph the Garma Festival as part of the official Yothu Yindi Foundation photography team. (A huge shout out to Michael Jalaru Torres for the nomination). I went through an interview process, then the waiting to see if I was approved - and I was! This was a major professional and personal highlight for me. I was going 'home' for the first time after almost 40 years away from north east Arnhem Land.

The challenge of four 12-24 hour days back-to-back shooting with a highly talented team of photographers from around the country was incredibly motivating. Early starts and late finishes surrounded by music, language, culture and visitors from across Australia. Each day revealed new and exciting moments to capture, and new challenges. I cried my eyes out at the end of the first buŋgul. Hearing the song and singing of the Yolŋu peoples again filled me with every big emotion I had.

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.

The YYF media team. L-R: Jason, Richard, Teagan, Tiffany (me), Peter, Leicolhn, Tamati, Mike, Michael.

Buŋgul. All ages dance in the ceremony.

Painting up for ceremony.

Both men and women dance in buŋgul.

Each language group dances.

Cultural activities are a daily occurrence and everyone is invited to join in.

The main stage featured live bands and music from across Australia and played late into the night.