Womin Djeka Balnarring Ngargee is a festival where the whole community can gather to share, begin conversations and walk with First Peoples.
The 9th Womin Djeka Balnarring Ngargee will take place on Saturday the 14th of March 2026 at Emu Plains Reserve, 54 Coolart Road, Balnarring on Boon Wurrung Country. The event is family friendly, entry is by donation and onsite parking is available for only $5.
We invite you to join in the fun and learning!
Presented by Balnarring Preschool, with guidance from Boon Wurrung Elder Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs OAM, each year the festival evolves with new learning opportunities to engage all members of the community. This is a family friendly event where there is lots for everyone to do and experience. This year we are excited to welcome the sensational Dan Sultan as the headline act alongside other outstanding First Nations Artists Candice Lorrae, Canisha and Kiwat Kennell.
Make sure to join in one of the workshops led by First Nations people who are generously sharing their Cultures. Workshops in 2026 will focus on: Building Bundjil’s nest, Yidaki meditation, painting, jewellery making, Storytelling, a guided walk, creating your own wood burning tile, Aboriginal symbols in art, boomerang painting, fire making and spear throwing.
Check out the fabulous First Nations market area where you can find lots of treasures from First Nations creatives. Products will include artworks, handbags and backpacks, aromatherapy products, teas, candles, healing products, drink bottles and keep cups, homewares, woodcraft, clothing, jewellery, puzzles, books, chocolate and many more exciting products.
There is even more to discover at the First Nations organisations stalls with organisations such as First Peoples Assembly, VACCA, Willum Warrain, Mornington Peninsula Shire RAP, Clothing the Gaps and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc highlighting the important work they do with Community. Maybe buy a plant or 2 from Willum Warrain’s indigenous nursery stall…
Be sure to visit the Caring for Country area which showcases the contribution of many of our wonderful volunteer groups – better than ever with at least 12 groups confirmed as attending. Organisations include Save Westernport and Westernport Protection Council, Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network and Merricks Coolart Landcare Group, the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation Group, Dolphin Research Institute, Save our Kangaroos, Westernport Biosphere Foundation, Cranbourne Botanical Gardens, Merricks Beach Foreshore Committee, Mornington Peninsula Shire EcoCentre, Living with Wildlife, Birdlife Mornington Peninsula and CoExist Melbourne.
As you enter the site, you will be welcomed by a Smoking Ceremony as well as displays from many local schools who will be showcasing their learning about First Nations Cultures through the Bundjil Nest Schools Project.
Of course, there will be food trucks and coffee ready to keep your energy levels up so you can be sure to make the most of this amazing day of fun, culture and learning.
Entry is by donation and everyone’s invited to come along on Saturday, March 14, from 10am-5pm at Emu Plains Reserve, Coolart Rd, Balnarring. Find out more at Womin Djeka – Balnarring Ngargee
The organising committee is dedicated to make the event accessible for everyone with any ability. Accessibility features include a free all terrain wheelchair to use, accessible bathroom, viewing platform, quiet areas and sensory aids. If we can add any other accessibility feature that will make it easier for you to attend, please let us know: womindjeka.balnarring.ngargee@gmail.com
Details:
10 am to 5pm
Saturday 14th of March 2026
Emu Plains Reserve
54 – 58 Coolart Rd, Balnarring
Entry is by donation
Dan Sultan
Dan Sultan is one of Australia’s most loved singer-songwriters boasting numerous accolades to his name, including 7 ARIA Awards, NIMA Awards, Top 5 ARIA-charging albums, and an ARIA-certified gold record. 2023’s self-titled album ‘DAN SULTAN’ won the ARIA for ‘Best Adult Contemporary Album’ and was also nominated for ‘Best Solo Artist’ and ‘Best Independent Release’. Sultan has toured countless times playing headline shows to sold-out crowds, as well as supporting the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Midnight Oil, Vance Joy and billed on some of Australia’s biggest festivals, including Splendour in the Grass, Blues Festival and Falls Festival, to name a few. Dan will be playing a full set with his band at the Ngargee and this is a rare chance to see him perform live in a beautiful natural setting.
Candice Lorrae
Candice Lorrae is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and music producer, born in Garramilla/Darwin, raised in Boorloo/Perth, and now based in Naarm/Melbourne. A proud woman of Jawoyn, Torres Strait Islander, Filipino and mixed European descent, she has been a distinctive presence in the Australian music landscape for over two decades, widely recognised for her work with the acclaimed pop duo The Merindas.
This year marks the launch of Candice’s solo project — a return to her own voice and story — as she crafts her debut album inspired by her home in the Northern Territory. Describing her sound as indie folk with soulful storytelling, she draws heavily from the landscapes and memories of home, creating music that feels both cinematic and deeply intimate.
As the second great-granddaughter of Bett Bett — a cultural figure central to We of the Never Never, The Little Black Princess and The Girl Who Talked to the Stars — Candice carries forward a powerful lineage. Her work honours these stories while carving out a new chapter uniquely her own.
Canisha
Canisha Clemmet-Kennedy is a Melbourne-based artist whose soulful, textured pop sound blends warmth, honesty and emotional depth. Her debut EP DON’T BE SCARED (2024, Bad Apples Music) introduced a confident and lush pop sound, drawing inspiration from Adele, Jorja Smith and Harry Styles.
Known for her inviting vocals and raw storytelling, Canisha has performed at Dreamtime at the G, Yirramboi Festival, St Kilda Music Festival, Share the Spirit at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Treaty Day Out. She has developed her artistry through programs including Singing Our Futures (Archie Roach Foundation), NATSIMO’s Resonate program, Space to Create, and the First Nations Pathways Program with Mushroom Group. Guided by mentors such as Candice Lorrae, Bumpy, Tasman Keith and Beatrice Lewis, Canisha continues to craft music that connects, uplifts and resonates.
Kiwat Kennell
Kiwat Kennell, a proud Eastern Torres Strait Islander from Ugar (Stephens) and Erub (Darnley), grew up in a family that worked in law enforcement and government, giving him a complex view of the world. He was raised with an understanding of authority and structure while also witnessing the barriers and injustices Indigenous people continue to face. These conflicting experiences shaped his perspective and became central to his music—an unfiltered exploration of racism, identity, and mental health.
His battle with depression, anxiety, and the loss of loved ones led him to find solace in songwriting. His music is a raw reflection of his reality—giving voice to the pain of being silenced and the resilience of pushing through. After his award-winning band Key Hoo disbanded, Kiwat stepped into his own artistry, using music as a tool for self-expression, connection, and change.
Through his deeply personal storytelling and evocative melodies, Kiwat creates a space for conversations that often go unspoken. His work serves as both a personal catharsis and a call for a more honest, open dialogue about mental health, cultural identity, and the complexities of modern life. His music isn’t just about sound—it’s about truth, survival, and the power of being heard.
Boon Wurrung Ngargee Dancers
‘Ngargee’ (pronounced Nar- ghee) means ‘Ceremony’ in the language of the Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation. Ngargee Dance Group is a collective of First Nations young women living on the lands of the Kulin Nation in the suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The program is ran under the cultural guidance of Senior Boon Wurrung Elder, N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs with the support of other First Nations dancers and creatives.
Ngargee Dance Program is an opportunity for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and women to connect to culture and Country, learn Boon Wurrung language and stories and develop their cultural and creative expression through the teaching of First Nations dancers and artists. The participants meet regularly to learn stories, practice culture, rehearse and participate in ceremony and performance opportunities.
An important highlight is the Welcome to Country, conducted by N’arwee’t Professor Carolyn Briggs. The festival centres around the concept of being Womin Djeka to Boon Wurrung Biik (Country) and the Welcome is prioritised and a key event:
“Womin Djeka is… what lays behind the word. It’s not just Welcome. It means come, ask to come, and what is your intention… or your purpose” N’arwee’t Professor Carolyn Briggs OAM.
N’arwee’t Carolyn is a Boonwurrung Senior Elder.
Acknowledged and recognised as a descendent of the First Peoples of the estate of the Boon Wurrung language group. A direct descendant of the First Peoples of Melbourne, the Yalukit Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung. N’arwee’t Carolyn is the great-granddaughter of Louisa Briggs, a Boon Wurrung woman born before sovereignty on the south coast of what we now know as Melbourne in the 1830s.
N’arwee’t Carolyn has been acknowledged and honoured as a National Female Elder, recognised by the State in the Victoria’s Honor roll for women and by The Victorian Aboriginal Council and is in the First One Hundred Women of Note and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019. N’arwee’t Carolyn has been involved in developing and supporting opportunities for Indigenous youth and strategies for the promotion and maintenance of Boon Wurrung culture and heritage for over 40 years.
Contact:
Website: https://www.balnarringfestival.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bundjil2018
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womindjekabalnarring
Email: womindjeka.balnarring.ngargee@gmail.com