Venture down the Mornington Peninsula this weekend and immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of First Nations culture, filled with music, arts, markets and more. Community festival Womin Djeka Balnarring Ngargee returns for its sixth instalment on Saturday, March 25, taking over Emu Plains Reserve. The festivities will kick off from 11am with a Welcome to Country, before launching into a big day of live entertainment. Heading the lineup is Isaiah Firebrace — one of the world's highest streamed First Nations artists — with performances from John Wayne Parsons, Jalgany, Carissa Nyalu, Robert K Champion and more also set to grace the stage. You'll catch Willum Warrain's large-scale puppets with their storytelling performance, Yana Daadigan — Travel of the Spirit Animals, and see impressive moves from acts like the Murrundaya Yepenga Dance Troupe and Indigenous Outreach Project. [caption id="attachment_894154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jalgany[/caption] Meanwhile, a pop-up market will showcase an array of goodies from First Nations makers and producers, ranging from artwork and fashion, to ceramics and bush foods. There'll also be a hefty program of workshops if you fancy learning skills like painting with ochre, Yidaki-style meditation, traditional weaving and more. A stack of local organisations will be hosting demonstrations centred on sharing how we can best care for Country, and there'll be an assortment of food trucks and pop-ups to keep you fuelled throughout the festival. You can register for your free ticket online.
