Museums mark 50 years of NAIDOC Week with nationwide program of events, July 2026
Museums across Australia are marking NAIDOC Week 2026 with a diverse program of exhibitions, workshops, tours and community events celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements.
Held from 5–12 July, this year’s theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” commemorates half a century of NAIDOC Week, recognising the strength, resilience and continuing contributions of First Nations peoples.
From family activities and school holiday programs to artist-led workshops and cultural tours, museums nationwide are inviting museum vistors to engage with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.
In Victoria, Melbourne Museum’s Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre will host a week of activities celebrating First Nations culture, while ACMI is presenting NAIDOC 2026: 50 Years of Deadly through film, micro talks and a beautiful moving image artwork celebrating the water, land and sky from First Nations artist Mick Harding. Tasmania’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is offering a special cartooning workshop, while Perth’s Scitech is exploring Indigenous knowledge through its Djinda Kaatijin program.
In Canberra, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House is highlighting First Nations experiences of democracy through guided tours, while the National Museum of Australia is presenting a week of family-friendly activities celebrating NAIDOC Week. The Australian National Maritime Museum will also host a free community open day. The Australian Museum running Waranara Tours are running every day at 1pm between the 5-12 July
The Migration Museum in Adelaide is offering a walking tour exploring the significance of Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens), while the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is celebrating First Nations arts through the opening for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.
Museums of History NSW will present a series of First Nations-led events across several historic sites throughout July. Highlights include a ceramics workshop with Wailwan artist Kevin “Sooty” Welsh at the Western Sydney Records Centre, children’s illustration workshops with First Nations illustrator Jade Goodwin at Hyde Park Barracks, the family-focused Dharug Day Out at Rouse Hill Estate in partnership with Muru Mittigar Cultural Centre, and a weaving workshop led by Malima, a family business from the La Perouse Aboriginal community, at Vaucluse House.
The South Australian Museum is marking the milestone with its free exhibition, 50 Years Deadly, featuring every official NAIDOC Week poster produced since 1975. Visitors can also participate in a range of complementary activities, including: Posters and Power, a school holiday workshop for teenagers exploring the history of political posters and social action in partnership with the Centre of Democracy, NAIDOC Chatterbox, a free drop-in activity for school-aged children, the Museum’s Family Learning Area, offering storytelling, music, dance and First Nations educational resources. The Museum has also partnered with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital to present a video installation featuring Aboriginal voices reflecting on what NAIDOC Week and the “50 Years Deadly” milestone means to them.
The Queensland Museum network is delivering programs across multiple sites. At Queensland Museum Kurilpa in Brisbane, visitors can experience immersive First Nations sensory tours led by First Nations Project Officer Erin Healey, alongside children’s Discovery Tours that explore Country through storytelling, music and movement. The museum is also launching Hearth, a new exhibition by inaugural First Nations Fellow Cheryl Leavy, which combines poetry and film to reconnect language, memory and Country.
In Townsville, Queensland Museum Tropics will host Deadly Day Out in partnership with Wulgurukaba Walkabouts, featuring a Smoking Ceremony, storytelling, dance, art and cultural workshops. Visitors can also take part in the hands-on Dilly Bag Designers activity exploring traditional fibre techniques and design.
Meanwhile, Queensland Museum Cobb+Co in Toowoomba will once again present its popular school program, Have Another Look Captain Cook!, inviting students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives through storytelling, demonstrations and interactive cultural activities.
For more information on NADIOC week visit: https://www.naidoc.org.au/