Ballarat unites to mark NAIDOC Week 2026

NAIDOC Week will be observed nationally from 5 to 12 July 2026, providing an opportunity for communities across Australia to come together to recognise and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme, Fifty Years of Deadly, acknowledges the history of NAIDOC over the past five decades and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who continue to carry it forward today.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves, said NAIDOC Week is an important time for the community to come together and reflect.

“The City of Ballarat stands alongside the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) and the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) to deliver our third annual collaborative flag raising ceremony,” she said.

“This partnership speaks to the mutually beneficial relationships we are continuing to build in Ballarat that promote reconciliation through respect and trust. 

“NAIDOC Week creates space for us to come together and celebrate the breadth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage across our municipality.”

The collaborative NAIDOC Week Flag Raising Ceremony will take place 10am Monday 6 July at the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative, 106 Armstrong Street North. Community members are warmly invited to attend.

Following the flag raising ceremony, attendees are invited to join the 38th annual community walk to the Ballarat Cemetery to pay respects to Wadawurrung ancestor Mullawallah.

A range of events hosted by local organisations will take place across the city to commemorate NAIDOC Week 2026. 

• From Monday 29 June: The City of Ballarat Umbrella Lane NAIDOC Week installation will be on display at Ballarat Hop Lane, Armstrong Street North. 
• Thursday 2 July: Kunuwarra (Blak Swan), a significant new public artwork by Wadawurrung artist Kait James, will be unveiled at the North Gardens Indigenous Sculpture Park at Lake Wendouree.
• Monday 6 July 10am: NAIDOC Week Flag Raising and Commemorative Walk held at BADAC (106 Armstrong Street North), hosted in collaboration with BADAC, WTOAC and the City of Ballarat. 
• Friday 3 to Tuesday 14 July: Retrospective NAIDOC posters display since 1972 at the Wendouree, Sebastopol and Ballarat Central libraries.
• Wednesday 8 July: BADAC Community Day held at Ballarat High School from 10am to 2pm.
• Thursday 9 July: Ballarat Library is hosting a tote bag workshop with Murrup Art as part of its school holiday program. Tickets here. 
• Saturday 11 July 11am: Our Flag, Our Story: Stories and Songs with Bernard Namok Jnr and Deb Lowah Clark for children aged 4 to 12 years. This is a free event held at The Eureka Centre.  
• Saturday 11 July 1pm: Symbols of Home: The Story of the Torres Strait Islander Flag. Includes a screening of the short documentary film, ‘Carry the Flag’. This is a free event held at The Eureka Centre.  
• Saturday 18 July: Balla-Arat NAIDOC Ball 2026, hosted by community members. Tickets here. 
• On display until 6 August: The Art Gallery of Ballarat presents the work of Hannah Brontë, a Wakka Wakka and Yaegel artist, on the Art Screen at Alfred Deakin Place.
   

What is NAIDOC Week? 

On 26 January 1938, while many Australians celebrated the 150th anniversary of the landing of the First Fleet, a group of over 1000 Aboriginal people gathered at Australia Hall in Sydney to call for full citizenship status and laws to improve the lives of First Nations people. As one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the world, this day became known as the Day of Mourning. 

Since then, National NAIDOC Week has grown to become both a commemoration of the first Day of Mourning as well as a celebration of the history, culture and excellence of First Nations people. 

National NAIDOC Week is observed annually from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday.

NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Observance Committee’.  

The National NAIDOC Committee makes key decisions regarding national celebrations each year as stewards of National NAIDOC Week events on behalf of all First Nations people.

To learn more about local NAIDOC Week initiatives in Ballarat visit https://ballaratfirstnations.com.au/naidoc-week