Yabun History

The Yabun Festival is Australia's largest one-day Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural festival, held annually on 26 January to celebrate the survival, resilience and continuing strength of First Nations peoples and cultures. The festival was established by Gadigal Information Service (GIS). Mary Mumbulla, the then Chairperson, was the driving force behind bringing the Yabun Festival to life, championing its vision from the beginning and helping it grow. The name "Yabun" means "music to a beat" in the Gadigal language, reflecting the festival's strong connection to music, culture and community.

The inaugural Yabun Festival in 2003 was held at Waverley Oval Bondi, where it showcased a program of live music, dance and community celebration featuring many of Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers. As the festival continued to grow, it relocated to Redfern Park, Redfern, an iconic site of Aboriginal political, cultural and social significance in Sydney. At Redfern Park, Yabun expanded beyond its original concert format to include community forums, cultural workshops, market stalls, children's activities, art exhibitions and discussions on important social and political issues affecting First Nations peoples. The move to Redfern strengthened the festival's identity as both a cultural celebration and a platform for truth-telling and community engagement.

Today, the Yabun Festival is held at Victoria Park in Camperdown, where it has continued to grow into one of Australia's most significant First Nations cultural events, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. The larger venue has enabled the festival to expand its program to include multiple performance stages, traditional dance, panel discussions, film screenings, fashion parade, cooking demonstrations, sporting activities, food vendors, arts and crafts markets, health services and community organisations. While the festival has evolved through its homes at Waverley Oval, Redfern Park and now Victoria Park, its purpose has remained unchanged: to honour the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, celebrate the richness of First Nations cultures, and provide a powerful space for community, education, healing and cultural pride.