NAIDOC Week - the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration of the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, held every July.
Cultural celebrationPublished October 18, 2026
- Observed in
- Where observed
- When
- July
- Frequency
- Same date every year
- Days off
- 0 days - cultural observance only
- Public status
- Cultural observance - not a legal public day
NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration of the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, held every July. The week is organized by the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) and is observed with community events, cultural performances, awards ceremonies, and the raising of the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. Not a public holiday but a major cultural observance in Australia.
The one-line summary
An annual Australian cultural celebration held every July, organized by the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. The largest annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australia, observed with awards ceremonies, community marches, cultural performances, and the raising of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. Not a public holiday but a major cultural observance.
Origin
The origins of NAIDOC Week lie in the "Day of Mourning" organized on January 26, 1938 by the Australian Aborigines' League. The day was organized to coincide with the 150th anniversary of British settlement in Australia, and was intended to highlight the dispossession and mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since 1788. The day was the first major Aboriginal protest event in Australian history, and was attended by around 100 Aboriginal activists.
The National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) was established in 1957 as a continuation of the Day of Mourning tradition. The committee organized annual events on the second Sunday in July, which became known as "Aborigines Day" and later "NAIDOC Day". The event grew over the following decades, with the addition of Torres Strait Islander representation in 1991 (reflected in the change of name to NAIDOC). In 1975, the day was extended to a full week, becoming NAIDOC Week.
The week's growth has paralleled the broader recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights in Australia. The 1967 referendum, which amended the Australian Constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for them, was a major milestone. The Mabo decision of 1992, which recognized native title in Australian law, was another. NAIDOC Week has become one of the largest annual expressions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia, and is widely observed by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The NAIDOC Awards
The NAIDOC Awards are the central ceremony of NAIDOC Week, recognizing the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a wide range of fields. The awards are held in a different city each year, with the host city rotating between the Australian states and territories. The awards are attended by the Prime Minister, the Governor- General, the Opposition Leader, and other senior officials, and are broadcast on national television.
The NAIDOC Awards include several major categories, including Person of the Year, Female Elder of the Year, Male Elder of the Year, Youth of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and several others. The awards recognize contributions in fields including education, sport, art, health, community service, and business. The recipients are announced in the weeks before NAIDOC Week, with the ceremony itself held during the week. The awards are widely covered in the Australian media and are one of the most visible events of the Australian cultural calendar.
The NAIDOC Awards have recognized some of the most prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in recent decades, including Cathy Freeman (1998, before her gold medal at the Sydney Olympics), Adam Goodes (2014, after his Australian of the Year award), and Archie Roach (posthumously, 2020). The awards are widely seen as a way of recognizing the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society, and are an important part of the national conversation about reconciliation and recognition.
The NAIDOC marches
The NAIDOC marches are the most visible public events of NAIDOC Week. The marches are held in cities and towns across Australia, with the largest marches in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Hobart. The Sydney NAIDOC March, organized by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, is one of the largest Aboriginal gatherings in Australia, with over 50,000 participants in recent years.
The marches typically include traditional dancers, didgeridoo players, cultural performers, and community groups, as well as politicians, business leaders, and supporters. The marches are a public expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pride, and are an important opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate its culture and history. The marches are also an important opportunity for non-Indigenous Australians to show their support for reconciliation and recognition.
The NAIDOC marches have been particularly important in the context of the broader Australian debate about the date of Australia Day (January 26, the anniversary of British settlement in 1788). Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have called for the date of Australia Day to be changed, arguing that it is insensitive to the dispossession of Aboriginal peoples. The NAIDOC marches are an important occasion for this debate, and are often used as a platform for calls for the date to be changed.
The NAIDOC theme
Each year, NAIDOC Week is organized around a specific theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee. The theme is typically announced several months in advance of the week, and is the basis for the educational materials, the awards ceremony, and the cultural events held during the week. The theme is chosen to highlight a particular aspect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture or history, and is widely used in schools, workplaces, and community organizations.
Recent themes have included "Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!" (2022), which called for systemic change in the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians; "For Our Elders" (2023), which celebrated the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders; "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud" (2024), which celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pride; and "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy" (2025), which focused on the contributions of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The 2026 theme is expected to be announced in early 2026.
Related observances
NAIDOC Week is part of a larger cycle of Australian national observances that includes Australia Day (January 26, commemorating the 1788 British settlement), ANZAC Day (April 25, commemorating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli), National Sorry Day (May 26, commemorating the impact of past government policies of forced child removal on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families), and National Reconciliation Week (May 27-June 3, marking two milestones in the reconciliation journey). The week is also associated with the observance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture throughout Australia, with events held year-round to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org, NAIDOC Week.
- naidoc.org.au, National NAIDOC Committee.
- britannica.com, NAIDOC Week.
- aiatsis.gov.au, AIATSIS on NAIDOC Week.