Condo SkyFest Miima Warrabinya (Seeking the stars) is an annual celebration of 65,000+ years of Wiradjuri Culture, Continuity and Creativity on Country. It is hosted by Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation and Big Skies Collaboration at the iconic Wiradjuri Study Centre in the small inland town of Condobolin, on the Galari-Lachlan River in central-western New South Wales. 

For Wiradjuri and other First Peoples, the all-inclusive concept of Country includes the land, waterways, and sky, and everything in them, including the stars, planets, and other celestial phenomena. We chose the name SkyFest because the sky unites people across all cultures; and because Wiradjuri people are now reawakening and revitalising their ancestral traditions and knowledge, including their astronomy and skylore, to reverse the damaging impacts of colonisation. Condo SkyFest Miima Warrabinya is part of this process of cultural regeneration, revitalisation, and healing. 

SkyFest also embodies a commitment to protecting and nurturing Country in the spirit of Yinndyamarra Winhanganha (The wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in.) This is why the SkyFest 2022 program includes the inaugural Regenerative Futures Expo Miima-gu Ngaahna [link]  (Reaching for the Stars), which offers individuals, community groups, businesses, and government departments opportunities to share, showcase and sell their products and services which help us create a safer, greener, healthier, Carbon neutral future.

The first Condo SkyFest was held in 2018, the second in 2019. Our 2020 and 2021 SkyFests were cancelled because of the COVID pandemic. Condo SkyFest 2022 is therefore our third celebration of Wiradjuri culture and continuity. It has been made possible by grants from the State and Federal governments, Evolution Mining, and Lachlan Shire Council, ongoing financial support from Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation, and in-kind support from our other sponsors and project partners, as shown below. We gratefully acknowledge this support. Condo SkyFest Miima Warrabinya 2022 would not be possible without it. 

We call Condo SkyFest Miima Warrabinya an evidence-based festival because it draws on tried and tested community cultural development practices that enrich the lives of local people, as well as on the extensive academic research showing how beneficial cultural festivals are for First Nations communities. We have brought together some of this evidence in our Statement of Purposes, which you can download here. [Add pdf dated 17 July to skyfest.com.au – but we may have to update it from time to time with a new document, so the URL might change]

SkyFest 2022 opens on the evening of 2 September with a Wiradjuri-themed Gala Dinner [link to program] served on the circular veranda of the iconic Wiradjuri Study Centre. 

SkyFest Saturday [link to program], 3 September, will be filled with live music, dance, song, arts, crafts, workshops, STEAM talks, an XR (Extended Reality) projection, astronomy, and much more in the grounds of the Wiradjuri Study Centre. 

Sunday is Family Funday [link to program] at the Condobolin Showground, with fishing with the Elders, a touch footy competition, and a community barbecue. Everyone is welcome.