2O25 OVERVIEW

Jamba Nyinayi Festival is pleased to announce the first release of the 2025 Program! Join us as we celebrate this year’s theme of ‘Connection’ on Cardabia Station with our special artists performing original Music and Dance, plus Cultural Workshops, Food, and Film.

Stay tuned for more artists and details to come!

Music

Shane Howard and band feat Lucky Oceans

Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse

Razzy Mak

Fred Ryan

Lachy John

Maatakitj

The Jamba Nyinayi Festival band feat Wes Mongoo and Hazel Walgar

Dance

Binmaga Yamatji Dancers

Pundarra Performance group

Coral Spawn Dancers

Workshops

Poetic Sand with Charmaine Papertalk Green

Solid Rock – A Conversation with Shane Howard

It’s a Rap – Hip Hop Workshop with Razzy Mak

Weaving with Karla Tittums

Tree of Life with Toni Roe

Jewellery Making with Samantha Drummond

Painting with Karen Ryan

Film

The film screening will take place in Cardabia’s Station’s Shearing Shed. Produced by First Nations descendant of the Butchella and Jagera people of Southeast Queensland Jodie Bell, the films will be comprised of a series of short Indigenous films and a feature film to finish up the program on Sunday evening. 

Overview

Music, as in previous festivals will be a strong focus of the program, with a feature night on Saturday 19 April of main stage acts playing in the Shearing Shed featuring newcomers, as well as returning local and regional favourites from previous years. The ‘Jamba Nyinayi Festival band’ will once again be a mainstay of the music program, providing backing for key festival artists. Music workshops are scheduled heading into the festival and facilitated by Artistic Director David Hyams to develop original work to the 2025 theme of ‘Connection’.

The festival’s on-site music workshops, first offered in 2024, will be extended to provide more opportunities to get involved, with youth-oriented sessions as well as songwriting and instrumental skills for all ages. The “Campfire Sessions”, a highlight of the 2024 festival described by many as ‘magical’, returns to The Verandah Stage of the historic shearer’s quarters to feature festival headliners playing short sets and collaborating in informal jam sessions. These campfire sessions will commence on the Friday evening as festival goers come together for intimate experiences, food, fire and storytelling. For the first time at JNF, there will be the opportunity to view a series of Indigenous short films and a feature film in the Shearing Shed.

This year, Jamba Nyinayi Festival features special guest, founding member of the Australian band Goanna and Black Arm Band, Shane Howard. In celebrating the 2025 theme of “Connection” Shane will be joined by the festival band comprised of prominent WA musicians and will also be working closely with Baiyungu elders to translate one of his iconic songs ‘Solid Rock, Sacred Ground’ into Baiyungu language. This will be presented at a workshop so festival goers can join in a spectacular community singing experience on Baiyungu country the following day. 

The festival can confirm that one of the headline acts for 2025 will be the legendary Shane Howard, Goanna band front man and one of Australia’s most influential songwriters playing a full set. 

The dance program, facilitated by local Dance Co-ordinator Janine Oxenham alongside Cultural Director Hazel Walgar, will showcase the Baiyungu dance group, ‘Coral Spawn’, which features members of the five Baiyungu family groups. Formed for the inaugural JNF, Coral Spawn honours their Elders, Country and Ancestors by sharing stories of their Country and Culture through the timeless tradition of dance. They will be joined by another Gascoyne dance group, the ‘Pundarra Performance Group’.

In collaboration with Hazel, Janine and the local dance groups, a new story will be crafted from the theme, leading to the development of new dance works. This sharing of story and movement, deeply rooted in cultural history, continues to thrive at the Jamba Nyinayi Festival.

The strong sense of family and community which has been embraced by festival goers, will continue as the theme of Connection is applied to the festival site itself. In previous years, venues were spread out across the vast station area. The 2025 festival will be more compact, with venues, stalls and common areas set closer together around the Shearers Quarters and Shearing Shed areas for easier access and a more connected feel.

Due to the popularity and demand for cultural workshops in 2024, this program will be extensively extended across arts and crafts, dance, music, food and storytelling to become the third core component of the festival, providing more of the culturally immersive experiences and imparting the strong message to visitors:

“Always respect and look after country and our country will respect and look after you”

Kick off the morning with some exercise in the best way possible – an invigorating dance workshop with the festival’s Dance Manager Janine Oxenham. Participate in arts and crafts workshops or listen to an introduction to Baiyungu culture featuring the festival’s cultural director Hazel Walgar and others. Presentations in the Shearing Shed follow, featuring well known Australian artists and festival headliners in conversation with MC (TBA) or get involved in hip hop workshops with Razzy Mac, which could lead to an onstage performance with one of our state’s most inspiring rappers.

 During the break in entertainment and activities from 11.30 – 4.30pm, cool off in nearby Coral Bay waters, chill around the festival site, or just relax in your swag. Things will start up again at 4.30pm on the verandah stage where Maatakitj, will show what has made them a Perth International Arts Festival favourite, and see up and comer Lachy John make his festival debut.

 The mainstage festival performances begins at 6pm, with dancers conjuring the Coral Spawn story to traditional Baiyungu song, backed by the festival’s all star band. After more dance magic with the Pundarra Performance group and Binmaga Yamatji dance groups, listen to visiting acts and headliners Gina William Guy Ghouse and national icon, Shane Howard, the founding member of the legendary Australian band Goanna and a driving force behind the Black Arm Band. Finish the night dancing to popular Pilbara rockers the Blackstone Ramblers, before heading back to the Verandah stage where the entertainment continues and the bar is open till midnight.