Refugee Week 2025
Freedom flourishes in inclusive communities
Refugee Week is a time to reflect, connect, and celebrate the contributions of refugees and the communities that welcome them.
When communities embrace diversity, they create spaces where every newcomer has the freedom to be themselves — to share traditions, speak their languages, and pursue their dreams.
This Refugee Week, we’re celebrating how diversity enriches our communities and strengthens our shared Australian story.
Celebrate diversity in community at a Refugee Week event
This year’s theme, Finding Freedom: Diversity in Community, highlights the powerful role that inclusive communities play in helping refugees rebuild their lives.
As a key event partner with the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), we’re proudly hosting and supporting events across the country that bring this year’s theme to life.
From creative showcases to community celebrations, these events celebrate the richness of refugee experiences and the inclusive communities that help them thrive.
New South Wales
6th of June: Freedom Feast, Cavanbah Hall Coffs Harbour, 6-8pm. Celebrate with community and hear from Muzafar Ali, a refugee who is cycling 4,000km for refugee-led education. Free, no booking required.
15th of June: Spirit of Welcome Community Festival, SSI’s signature Refugee Week event at The Refugee Welcome Centre in Lilyfield, 504 Wharf Rd, Lilyfield NSW 2040, Australia, 12-5pm. Free and open to the community. Get your ticket here.
18th of June: Art After Hours: Refugee Week, Art Gallery of New South Wales (Naala Badu building), 5:30-7:30pm. Free, no bookings required.
21st of June: Armidale Refugee Week Festival, THE DEN Secondary College, 2-4pm. Free, no booking required.
25th of June: SSI Homelands presents: The Resonant Heart, Sydney Opera House (The Studio), 7-9:30pm. Tickets are limited so reserve yours now.
Victoria
14th of June: Hume City Council community festival, Town Hall Broadmeadows – 10 Dimboola Rd, Broadmeadows, 1pm – 5pm. Free and open to the community. Proudly organised by people from refugee backgrounds. No registration required.
15th of June: Greater Dandenong City Council community event, Springvale Town Hall 18 Grace Park Avenue, Springvale, 10am – 3pm. Free and open to the community. No registration required.
28th of June: SSI Homelands presents: The Resonant Heart, Melbourne Immigration Museum (The Long Room), 6-9pm. Tickets are limited so reserve yours now.
Queensland
2nd of July: Family Fun Day, Gould Adams Community Centre, 10am –1pm. Free and open to the community.
Expressions of freedom
For artists who have experienced displacement, creative expression often becomes the first territory where freedom can be reclaimed.
This is celebrated throughout our Refugee Week events – from newly arrived artists sharing their work at the Spirit of Welcome Festival, to established creatives forging their place in Australia’s contemporary arts scene through the Homelands showcase.
