Celebrating 50 Years of NAIDOC: A Spectacular Evening of Culture, Music and Community on the Geraldton Foreshore.

What an incredible celebration! 🖤💛❤️

The Geraldton Foreshore came alive on Saturday, 24 October, as thousands of people joined Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation (YSRC) for our 2026 NAIDOC Community Celebration, marking the special milestone of 50 Years of NAIDOC.

From incredible live music and traditional dance to delicious bush tucker, cultural activities and wonderful community connections, the afternoon was filled with laughter, pride and celebration.

It was fantastic to see families, Elders, young people and visitors coming together to share in the richness of Yamatji culture and celebrate on Country.

“The NAIDOC Community Celebration is an important opportunity for us to come together, recognise the strength and richness of Yamatji culture, honour our Elders and celebrate the contributions of our people.

“As an organisation, we are committed to creating opportunities that strengthen cultural connections, support our young people and bring the broader community together. Seeing so many families enjoying the celebrations, our talented performers showcasing their culture and young people participating in cultural activities is a great reminder of why events like this are so important.

“While it was disappointing that the weather prevented the drone show from going ahead, it certainly didn't take away from the success of the evening or the strong sense of community that was evident throughout the event.

“I would like to sincerely thank our sponsors, Elders, cultural representatives, performers, volunteers and everyone who contributed to making this year's celebration a success. Events of this scale require significant planning and coordination, and I particularly want to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our staff and everyone involved behind the scenes.

“Celebrating 50 Years of NAIDOC is a significant milestone, and YSRC is proud to play a role in recognising this important history while continuing to create opportunities for our culture to be celebrated and shared with the wider community.

“We are proud of what we have achieved with this event and look forward to building on its success, ensuring it continues to be a celebration that brings our members, families and the wider community together each year.” Luka Gray YSRC CEO.

An Afternoon of Music, Dance and Cultural Pride

Our celebration began with a Welcome to Country and traditional Smoking Ceremony, setting the scene for an afternoon honouring culture, community and connection to Country.

The stage came alive with an incredible line-up of local talent!

Craig Pickett brought his fantastic reggae and sounds to the foreshore, while the much-loved Karloo Rockers had the crowd enjoying their energetic performance.

One of the special moments of the evening was welcoming Levi Bandy from Mount Magnet, who is only 10 years old as a special guest, joined the Karloo Rockers on stage to perform his first original song, Where I Belong.

What a wonderful opportunity to showcase emerging Aboriginal talent and celebrate the next generation of musicians!

Our traditional dance performances were equally memorable, with the talented Dadajaal Dance Group and Jinjamarda Jinderallas (Little Dragonflies) sharing culture through dance, movement and storytelling.

A real highlight was seeing the dancers invite the audience to join in. Children and adults enthusiastically participated, creating beautiful moments of cultural connection, learning and community spirit.

Free Traditional food a huge hit!

Crayfish, Bush Tucker & Plenty of Happy Faces!

If there was one thing that had everyone talking, it was the food!

Our FREE crayfish was an absolute crowd favourite, thanks to local legend Ray Dann, who generously prepared and served more than 300 portions of fresh local crayfish with the YSRC Team.

From delicious crayfish cooked on the barbecue with native bush spices to freshly prepared crayfish rolls, it was certainly one of the most popular attractions of the afternoon!

A huge thank you also goes to Peter and his fantastic team from Champion Bay Life Saving Club, who kept the sausage sizzle going and helped feed the hungry crowds.

Visitors also enjoyed traditional kangaroo stew and damper, sharing in the flavours and food traditions of Aboriginal culture prepared by Nana G.

The generosity and community spirit behind these food experiences made them even more special.

Volunteers from Champion Bay Surf Living Club Peter Nelson, Dave Hopper Hunter and YSRC Volunteer Ray Dann local hero cooking our crayfish in traditional bush spices.

Creativity, Culture and Family Fun

Our YSRC Community Art Zone was buzzing with activity as families and children explored cultural creativity through Gundawa sand art by Rashann Briggs, grounding rock art and a large collaborative community painting. This magic piece was coordinated by local artist Carol Martin, and which will proudly be installed in our Geraldton office

Our Team and sponsors were kept busy with cultural activities and storytelling to face painting, community stalls, giveaways and children's entertainment, there was something for everyone.

Our free picnic blankets were also a hit with early arrivals, helping families settle in and enjoy the atmosphere along the beautiful Geraldton Foreshore.

It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, children getting involved and families enjoying an afternoon of connection and celebration.

Gundawa: A Story Shared, With More Magic Still to Come

This year's much-anticipated Dreamtime drone show was set to bring the Badimaya Dreamtime story of Gundawa, the echidna, to life across the Geraldton night sky.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans!

Despite every effort to deliver YSRC's iconic Dreamtime drone show spectacular finale, strong winds remained outside the safe operating limits, meaning the aerial display could not proceed.

While we were naturally disappointed, the safety of our community and drone operators must always come first. We sincerely thank everyone for their understanding and support.

However, the magic of storytelling was still very much alive! The audience was treated to the Gundawa Dreamtime story through its beautiful narration and soundtrack, shared across the foreshore.

This special cultural experience provided an opportunity to connect with the story behind the planned drone display, celebrating the importance of preserving and sharing Aboriginal stories, language and cultural knowledge for future generations.

A heartfelt thank you to the talented team at First Lights for their incredible creativity, dedication and all the work behind the scenes in bringing the Gundawa drone show together.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to narrator Warren Walsh and the Badimaya community, whose cultural knowledge, storytelling and collaboration helped bring this special Dreamtime story to life. Your contributions are at the heart of what makes this cultural celebration so meaningful.

The story has been shared, but the magic of seeing Gundawa come to life in the night sky is still to come! ✨

We look forward to building on this year's celebration and sharing more spectacular cultural experiences with our community in 2027. 🖤💛❤️

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Sponsors and Community Partners

Events like this simply wouldn't be possible without the generous support of our incredible sponsors and community partners.

YSRC extends a HUGE thank you to:

Lotterywest, Regional Events Scheme, PGS - Progressive Green Solutions, Mitsui E&P Australia & Beach Energy, Midwest Ports, City of Greater Geraldton GBSC, DevelopmentWA, Synergy, Trina Solar Farm and Battery Pty Ltd, Coral Insurance, Strike Energy, Empire Metals Australia Pty Ltd, ILUKA, AGIG, Integrated ICT, RSM Australia, GMA Garnet.

Your support enables us to deliver a free community event that celebrates Aboriginal culture, creates meaningful cultural experiences and brings thousands of people together.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to our cultural representatives, Elders, performers, stallholders, emergency services, Marine Rescue Geraldton, Protect Security Geraldton, St Johns Ambulance, contractors including 65Thirty Events Team, Geraldton Party Hire, Sweet Orange Productions, Kennards, Coral Insurance, Radio Mama and all our volunteers and the entire YSRC team.

Behind every successful event is an enormous amount of planning, dedication and teamwork, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed.

Thank You, Geraldton!

Most importantly, THANK YOU to everyone who came along and celebrated with us! ❤️💛🖤

Seeing our community come together to celebrate 50 Years of NAIDOC, embrace Aboriginal culture, support our local performers and participate in cultural activities is what makes this event so meaningful.

We are already looking forward to what 2027 will bring!

Our 2026 Photo Gallery

They say a picture tells a thousand words, and we have plenty of wonderful moments to share!

From energetic stage performances and traditional dance to cultural activities, delicious food and smiling faces, our photo gallery captures the colour, culture and community spirit of this year's celebration.

As YSRC reflects on another successful NAIDOC Community Celebration, the organisation looks forward to continuing to grow an event that celebrates Aboriginal culture, strengthens community connections and creates lasting memories for generations to come for you all.

Take a look through our gallery below... Stay tuned more photos to come.

Thank you for helping us create another memorable YSRC NAIDOC Community Celebration.

A shout out to our offical photographers Tamati Smith and Vu Plan for caturing our event.

Country. Culture. Community. 🖤💛❤️