2023 Giiyong Festival date officially announced

Event organisers, South East Arts, Twofold Aboriginal Corporation and Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council said they were excited to announce the new date for the festival which is to be hosted at the Aboriginal-owned property "Jigamy", between Pambula and Eden on the Far South Coast.

The festival's name, Giiyong, means 'come to welcome' in the south coast languages as spoken by Elders. The festival itself celebrates the rich cultural history of the region and will feature music, dance, food, cultural demonstrations and more.

Giiyong Festival director, Jazz Williams, said the multi-year funding secured for the festival from Create NSW announced earlier this year, was a "brilliant outcome" for the community.

"Being supported by Create NSW over the next three years is a brilliant outcome and means we can really establish and build the event with our key presenting partner, Twofold Aboriginal Corporation," she said.

Ms Williams said their preparations for the festival were going very well and they were currently at the stage where they needed to open up volunteering registrations and call out for a few helping hands.

"With a lineup of incredible First Nations musicians, dancers, presenters and thinkers being booked for 2023, this year is shaping up beautifully, and we are now calling for volunteers to help bring this unique festival experience together," she said.

Ms Williams said in 2022 they had around 90 people volunteers in roles that helped cover all aspects of the event.

"Helpers are needed for a variety of tasks such as setting up, decorating the site, parking attendants, looking after the grounds, helping visitors and staffing the office," she said.

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Ms Williams said volunteering at Giiyong Festival was a great opportunity to get involved in a large-scale, multi-faceted community event.

Ms Williams added that it was a chance to be part of creating a platform to present important cultural information and experiences.

"We are looking for people from all walks of life, over the age of 18. People with event experience are always very handy but there really is a role for everyone, and even signing up for a four hour shift helps immensely," she said.

Ms Williams said the festival had amassed great popularity and support, not only from the local community, but also from visitors travelling from further afield.

"In 2022, we were battered by torrential rain, but it didn't dampen the spirit of the event. We managed to relocate the whole festival in 24 hours within the Jigamy property and the community really supported us and turned out, despite the weather," Ms Williams said.

Ms Williams said the festival provided a "rare opportunity" in South East NSW for the "entire community to come together in celebration of Aboriginal arts, culture, reconciliation and resilience".

Having first started in 2018, Giiyong Festival is made possible by funding from Create NSW and local sponsors.

Tickets for the festival are available online and the committee has begun to call out for Aboriginal-owned businesses to book stalls in the Guganyella Arts & Culture Market.

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