Latest news with #SummerSolsticeFestival
CBC
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
5 ways to celebrate National Indigenous People's Day near Ottawa
Social Sharing June is National Indigenous History Month, and June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. Across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, there are no shortage of ways to celebrate and learn about Indigenous culture and history. This list is not a comprehensive collection, rather a sample — organizers near you may have something else in the works. Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival Location: Wesley Clover Parks, 401 Corkstown Rd, Nepean Hosted by: Indigenous Experiences For more than two decades, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival has been uniting Indigenous cultures with this free event. The event will run both Saturday and Sunday. It includes community celebrations, cultural activities, culinary delights and an international competition powwow. This year's festival features Indian Relay Racing for the first time, which organizer Trina Samard calls one of the world's "first extreme sports." Riders will ride bareback on horses, switching on and off throughout the race. Indigenous pop-up market Location: Bytown Museum, 1 Canal Lane, Ottawa Hosted by: Bytown Museum Interested in trying your hand at a new craft or exploring traditional medicines in a hands-on way? The Bytown Museum is hosting an Indigenous pop-up market from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event will include vendors from First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists, so you can take home a work of art, too. Gatineau-Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre celebrations Location: Asticou Centre, 241 Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes, Gatineau Hosted by: Gatineau-Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre The Gatineau-Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre is hosting its own soirée, promising a day of "sharing, culture and pride." It's taking place at the new Gatineau location of the friendship centre, where new flavours and artwork from several nations will be available for visitors to experience. Kingston National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration Location: Confederation Park, Kingston Hosted by: Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest, City of Kingston Kingston's celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day includes musicians, dancers and storytellers. The lineup includes an Ollin Drum show by St Pierre drummers and singers, traditional grass dancing by The Ward Brothers, and a musical performance by Tyendinaga-raised pop musician Noelle Maracle. Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Parade A parade through Tyendinaga will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na, the region's language school. It will be followed by games, crafts and music. Visitors will also have a chance to fill out a card for a time capsule to be opened in another 25 years.
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Events are being held across the country Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day
Kwakwaka'wakw dancers perform at a gathering on National Indigenous Peoples Day in Vancouver on Friday, June. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns OTTAWA — Hundreds of events are planned across the country Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. First observed in 1996, Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and traditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in a closed event to mark the day. The office of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said she will host youth at Rideau Hall in Ottawa to mark the day by crafting paper hearts with 'messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment.' The Governor General will plant the hearts in Rideau Hall's 'heart garden,' which honours Indigenous people who died in residential schools, along with survivors. 'Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories — of pain and disappointment, strength and courage — and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action,' Simon's office said. This year's Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa. The festival features a competition powwow, traditional foods and teaching sessions. Starting Saturday, the Forks in Winnipeg will host Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day festival of Indigenous performances, games, fashion and crafts. Organizers say the festival will honour 'the stories, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities, especially in this moment of significant displacement due to Manitoba's wildfire.' And in Toronto, the Na-Me-Res Traditional Powwow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place Saturday at the Fort York National Historic Site, featuring traditional dances, live concerts and a food market. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Sun sets on Summer Solstice Festival in Yorkville
The Summer Solstice Festival in Yorkville, which was held in June in the city for more than a decade, is not taking place this year. The two-day music fest, which was first staged in 2013, was always held on the Friday and Saturday in June closest to the summer solstice. The festival was cancelled only once, in 2020 due to the pandemic. Event organizer Boyd Ingemunson, 52, an attorney who lives in Yorkville, said given the current challenges involved in booking bands and having the capital to do it the event had run its course. He decided in January not to put on the festival this June, he said. 'I was the one who always organized and ran this and the goal from the beginning was ultimately to curate a festival that brought bands in from all over the country – touring musicians,' he said. 'It's against the grain of what you normally get in municipal festivals. There, you're getting cover bands and bands that just play around the suburbs and I wanted to do something that really was more geared towards original, independent bands on their way up in the industry.' Ingemunson said over the years 'a wide range of music was curated and that was the main goal behind it all.' 'We wanted to bring something to Yorkville that was unique to all the suburbs,' he said. While the scope of the festival remained fairly consistent, Ingemunson said over time it did 'morph into a program with the local cross-country team that did a road race as part of the event.' There was also some philanthropic work with the Knights of Columbus at the festival. 'But other than that, we kind of stuck true to the event. Obviously, you have vendors and beer and food, but I really wanted the focus of the festival to remain about the music and the musicians that traveled here,' he said. 'We did have some generous sponsors over the years, but you can't go to the well too many times and be hitting up the same people for checks to fund this.' Attendance averaged between 1,500 to a couple thousand visitors each year, he said. Ingemunson recalled a first-year act that has since become a big name in the music business. 'We had Sturgill Simpson here in 2013 and now he's literally one of the largest bands in the entire country,' Ingemunson said. 'He plays headline spots at all kind of places now.' The festival used to be free, but transitioned in the past few years into having to charge for tickets 'because we wanted to be able to attract bigger bands and you need to generate ticket revenue to pay bands more money.' he said. 'That's kind of where it just became difficult to compete,' he said, because some bigger corporate-backed festivals are 'generating millions of dollars of revenue, whereas with me I'm self-financing.' He also said 'it's challenging to get people to pay for tickets in the summer.' 'It just got kind of untenable and way too risky for me to front the financing on it,' Ingemunson said. Last year, Ingemunson said he doubled the band budget but in the end 'things didn't balance on the balance sheet and it just didn't work.' 'It's not like it's over forever. I always keep options open and maybe in some time it will get resurrected, but at this point it didn't make sense,' he said.
