FESTIVAL DAY

September 19, 2026
12PM - 6PM

Get Your Wristband
Download Map

For this family-friendly celebration, we invite you to experience Indigenous cultures and voices from across the continent with live music, dance, film screenings, hands-on workshops, storytellers, an artisan market, food trucks, and more!

The artisan market can be found in the Glass Lobby and Great Performer’s Lounge located inside the Chan Centre.

Please note, parking is free in the Rose Garden Parkade during festival hours.

Wristbands are required for entry and are free!

Get yours in-person at our info booths or at our box office.

Live Music at the Telus Studio Theatre

  • Performance by alternative rock band Eagle Ex Machina, founded by Matt Cook-Contois of the Misipawistik Cree Nation.

  • Performance by singer-songwriter Francis Baptise from the Sylix Nation.

  • Performance by JUNO-nominated Canadian folk music duo Burnstick, comprised of Plains-Cree guitarist Jason Burnstick and Métis vocalist Nadia Burnstick.

  • Performance by pop artist and composer Semiah of the Kanien’kehà:ka (Mohawk) Nation.

  • Performance by R&B soul artist LOV of the Poundmaker Cree Nation.

  • Performance by singer-songwriter Kalyn Fay of the Cherokee Nation and Muscogee descent.

  • Performance by fuzz rock trio G̱a̱mksimoon, led by Gitga’at guitarist & vocalist Wil Uks Batsga G̱a̱laaw (Jeremy Pahl).

  • Performance by Cree and Métis artist, Joey Stylez.

  • Performance by hip-hop, rock, funk and soul band Curtis Clearsky & the Constellationz, formed by Curtis Cleark Sky of the Nitsitapii and Anishinaabe Nations.

Storytelling at the Cedar Grove

  • Musqueam welcome by host Quelemia Sparrow.

  • Storytelling by multi-disciplinary Musqueam artist, Quelemia Sparrow.

  • Storytelling by the Vancouver Public Library’s 2026 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence, Cee Peal of the Nisga'a First Nation.

  • Poets & Storytellers Program

    Featuring:

  • Storytelling by the Vancouver Public Library’s 2023 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence, Les George‍ of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.

  • Storytelling by Musqueam artist Miss Christie Lee, the city of Vancouver’s first Indigenous Poet Laureate.

Workshops at Salal Plaza

  • Learn the history and how to play the ancient Coast Salish game of Bone Games, also known as Slahal, with Jocelyn Grant.

    Capacity of 30, first-come-first-served

  • Learn about Musqueam history and cedar harvesting from Musqueam Band member, cultural educator, and cedar weaving apprentice, Rebecca Campbell. Create and take home your own twined bracelet from the inner bark of the red cedar tree!

    Capacity of 30, first-come-first-served

  • Weaving Together: Traditions, Economies and Perspectives.

    Join Musqueam cultural respresentative Courtenay Sparrow-Charles/swəlaməyeʔ and learn to make a quarter bag using traditional teachings in a modern context.  These quarter bags are not simply functional but represent the artistic, scientific and mathematical skills of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people who revitalized wool weaving after it was almost lost due to colonization and residential schools.  The way these bags are now used is tied to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm culture, practices and economies and are therefore a strong representation of self-governance and determination that existed long before colonization. In the same way Courtenay was taught by her mentor Teressa Galis and as she continues to learn alongside her sister Lindsay Sparrow-Charles, Courtenay will guide through making a small quarter bag that you will be able to complete and take with you at the end of the session.  This workshop is suitable for all ages and skill levels. 

    Capacity of 25, first-come-first-served

Films at the Royal Bank Cinema

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Elder Larry Grant's Welcome Message (2 min)

    Musqueam welcome by Elder-in-Residence at UBC’s First Nations House of Learning, Larry Grant.


    Musqueam Through Time (19 min)

    Musqueam Through Time was produced by Gryphon Productions for the Musqueam First Nations- one of the Four Host Nations of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It presents the cultural history of the Musqueam First Nations (Indian Band).


    Writing the Land (8 min)

    In this short documentary, a Musqueam elder rediscovers his Native language and traditions in the city of Vancouver, near where the Musqueam people have lived for thousands of years. The film captures the ever-changing nature of a modern city - the glass and steel towers cut against the sky, grass, trees and a sudden flash of birds in flight and the enduring power of language to shape perception and create memory.

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Niwahkohmahkanis (4 min)

    Niwahkohmahkanis shines a light on the love children have for their grandmothers and the special relationship they share.


    The Wild Sheriff (12 min)

    A violent storm is brewing as two powerful forces are about to collide. The orphaned Wild Sheriff seeks to bring order as he wrestles with his inner chaos.

    Content warning: violence, fake gunshot


    Migizi Makes A Deal with Gzhemnidoo (13 min)

    A visually striking 2D animated Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) short celebrating the importance of Indigenous language and tradition — an engaging Anishinaabe story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

    Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure (9 min)

    Rooted in Mi′kmaw storytelling, this animated short follows two young friends whose eel-fishing trip becomes a lesson in courage, problem-solving, and cultural connection.


    Nenaboozhoo (15 min)

    A traditionally animated in-language Anishinaabe story of how the arrow got its feathers.

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Special 10th anniversary screening of The Secret Path, an animated film adaptationof Gord Downie’s album Secret Path and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel. Through music, poetry, and visual storytelling, the film shares the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died while trying to return home after fleeing Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in 1966. ​

    Disclaimer: Please note that this screening addresses residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and the abuse of Indigenous children in Canada. These topics may be difficult for some audience members. We encourage you to honour your own needs as you watch and reflect on the film. 

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Elder Larry Grant's Welcome Message (2 min)

    Musqueam welcome by Elder-in-Residence at UBC’s First Nations House of Learning, Larry Grant.


    Musqueam Through Time (19 min)

    Musqueam Through Time was produced by Gryphon Productions for the Musqueam First Nations- one of the Four Host Nations of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It presents the cultural history of the Musqueam First Nations (Indian Band).


    Writing the Land (8 min)

    In this short documentary, a Musqueam elder rediscovers his Native language and traditions in the city of Vancouver, near where the Musqueam people have lived for thousands of years. The film captures the ever-changing nature of a modern city - the glass and steel towers cut against the sky, grass, trees and a sudden flash of birds in flight and the enduring power of language to shape perception and create memory.

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Niwahkohmahkanis (4 min)

    Niwahkohmahkanis shines a light on the love children have for their grandmothers and the special relationship they share.


    The Wild Sheriff (12 min)

    A violent storm is brewing as two powerful forces are about to collide. The orphaned Wild Sheriff seeks to bring order as he wrestles with his inner chaos.

    Content warning: violence, fake gunshot


    Migizi Makes A Deal with Gzhemnidoo (13 min)

    A visually striking 2D animated Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) short celebrating the importance of Indigenous language and tradition — an engaging Anishinaabe story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

    Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure (9 min)

    Rooted in Mi′kmaw storytelling, this animated short follows two young friends whose eel-fishing trip becomes a lesson in courage, problem-solving, and cultural connection.


    Nenaboozhoo (15 min)

    A traditionally animated in-language Anishinaabe story of how the arrow got its feathers.

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Special 10th anniversary screening of The Secret Path, an animated film adaptationof Gord Downie’s album Secret Path and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel. Through music, poetry, and visual storytelling, the film shares the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died while trying to return home after fleeing Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in 1966. ​

    Disclaimer: Please note that this screening addresses residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and the abuse of Indigenous children in Canada. These topics may be difficult for some audience members. We encourage you to honour your own needs as you watch and reflect on the film. 

  • Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre

    Director Elle-Maija Tailfeathers (Blood Tribe, Blackfoot Confederacy / Sámi) tells the story of the Musqueam's 200-day vigil to halt a Vancouver condo development that unearthed ancestral remains.

Activations at the Flagpole

  • Learn how to skateboard with Nations Skate Youth, an Indigenous-led organization that empowers Indigenous youth to embrace their right to self-determination through the positive impact of skateboarding.