Backed by the sharp crack of bilma clapsticks, the official opening ceremony of the 2026 Garma Festival - Australia's largest Indigenous cultural gathering - officially began on Friday. They were welcomed in by clan leaders as the opening ceremony turned the arena into a living map of songlines and kinship. As the opening ceremony unfolded, his words framed the festival as both a celebration and a challenge: to honour tradition while walking forward, side by side. Ms Hunter told the crowd the future being debated at Garma belongs, first and foremost, to the children. "Every conversation we have here at Garma about the future is really a conversation about our children," she said.