AUSTRALIA’S first Reconciliation Day will be celebrated as a public holiday in Canberra on Monday, May 28.

Reconciliation in the Park will be held in Glebe Park and the day will feature national and local artists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultural activities, and food trucks.

Entertainment will include performances by blues and roots band, Busby Marou and Canberra’s Lucy Sugerman. The young Ngunnawal Dancers and the Wiradjuri Echoes are among the other acts that will feature on stage during the day.

Other events will include bush tucker and boomerang activities, ranger talks and displays, storytelling, children’s art and the opportunity to meet Reconciliation Ambassadors. 

Reconciliation Day falls during Reconciliation Week, which is celebrated across Australia from May 27 to June 3, to commemorate two significant Reconciliation milestones: the 1967 Referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.

 This year’s theme, which has also been adopted for Reconciliation Day, is “don’t keep history a mystery”. 

The ACT government is also supporting a range of Reconciliation Day events across Canberra through the Reconciliation Day Grants Program. Events include cultural tours at Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s screening of the documentary Zach’s Ceremony, a barbecue organised by Toora Women Inc and EveryMan Australia, an indigenous community volunteers event at the National Museum, a Tuggeranong Netball Association Reconciliation round and an event hosted by the Kara Buai Torres Strait Islander Corporation.

Reconciliation in the Park, Glebe Park, 10am-2pm, May 28.