If you want to learn more about First Nations culture but don’t know where to start, the Clancestry festival at QPAC may provide some answers.
The festival has been designed for established and emerging First Nations artists to share their storytelling, music, dance, art and culture from July 23 to August 10.
Tickets are on sale now via qpac.com.au/clancestry or 136 246.
The 2025 program is designed to be a landmark event, bringing together some of Australia’s most celebrated creatives including:
Jane Harrison’s The Visitors, directed by Wesley Enoch, from July 23-26 is an entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.
First Gathering, a much-loved fixture on the Clancestry program, returns on July 31. This free event is the official welcoming ceremony for this year’s festival. It will bring together First Nations artists and cultural groups to present dance, song, and cultural practices, sharing community connection to the land and its people.
Wata: a gathering for songmen, improvising soloists and orchestra on July 31, celebrates the music traditions of the Wagiluk people in Arnhem Land.
Black History Month: HERstory | HIStory on July 25 is a night of free live music and storytelling celebrating Mob across three generations.
Also featuring in the festival is the fourth iteration of BLAK DAY OUT, an all-ages celebration of First Nations culture, food, and music from Australia’s leading Indigenous artists. At The Princess Theatre on July 26.
Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Illume from August 1-9 explores the way light has captivated and sustained Indigenous cultural existence for millennia.
Biggest Mobs is the epic culmination of QPAC’s BlakBeats First Nations music development program, presented in association with Atlas Studio – a platform that unites musically diverse First Nations artists to create and push boundaries. On August 1.
Visual artistry is celebrated in the Live Art at Clancestry program, showcasing bespoke creations from artists across Fish Lane and Melbourne Street Green on August 2.
Electric Fields with Queensland Symphony Orchestra on August 2 is a fusion of traditional culture with pop, soul and electronica.
Art of Song will feature three powerful First Nations songwomen – Jess Hitchcock, Megan Sarmardin, and SOLCHLD accompanied by the evocative piano melodies of Paul Grabowsky. August 8.
Be the first to experience the next big voices in First Nations theatre with Sparks: First Nations Play Readings, a free event on August 9.
Clancestry for Kids is on August 9 and 10. This free, family-friendly event transforms the Melbourne Street Green into a vibrant space filled with art, music, and playful discovery.
The much-loved Mob Music stage returns in 2025 with an epic line-up of First Nations musicians and artists, hosted by DJ Big Mike. This impressive free live music event will run from August 9 to 10 on the Melbourne Street Green from dusk each day.
The renowned Mob Words returns to the Melbourne Street Green with Arabella Walker, Boneta-Marie Mabo, Dean Tyson (Bingkin) and Dylan Bolger leaving their creative mark on August 9 and 10.
