Toronto's Indigenous Arts Festival is happening at Fort York June 21 to 23

Toronto’s seventh annual Indigenous Arts Festival kicks off at Fort York downtown next week just in time for National Indigenous Peoples Day, which will be on Friday, June 21.

Produced by the City of Toronto in partnership with the Friends of Fort York and the Mississaugas of Credit First Nation, the festival is an opportunity to celebrate traditional and contemporary Indigenous culture, from music and dance to theatre, film, crafts and food.

“The Indigenous Arts Festival provides an opportunity to recognize the historic and present-day contributions of Indigenous peoples. I encourage all residents to join in the celebrations at Fort York National Historic Site,” said Mayor John Tory, in a statement.

The festival runs from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23, celebrating with performances on the Garrison Common Main Stage and daytime workshops and programming that will be both educational and interactive.

Included in the weekend programming is the Na-Me-Res Annual Traditional Pow Wow on June 22, which will have more than 100 drummers and dancers from across the province performing. Youth will also be able to paint tiles in memory of a residential school student on June 21 which will culminate in a large mosaic by the end of the festival.

Additionally, the festival stage will see a variety of performers, including the Toronto Métis Jiggers, a Toronto Metis dance collective, Fawn Big Canoe, a First Nations DJ, Beatrice Dear, a traditional Inuit throat singer, and more.

Along with the entertainment, the festival will settle up on Sunday, June 23 with the Indigenous Arts Festival Market Day, with more than 30 Indigenous vendors selling all sorts of authentic Indigenous artistry, from jewellery and clothing to leather goods.

And of course, there will be plenty of food options scattered around the festival grounds selling a variety of tasty eats throughout the weekend.

For a full detailed list of programming, visit the festival’s website here. You can also check out the Facebook event page.

Indigenous Arts Festival

When: June 21 to June 23, 2019
Time: Friday, 10 am to 10 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm; Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm
Where: Fort York, 250 Fort York Boulevard, Toronto
Price: Free

See also

• A 3-day Taco Festival is coming to Toronto on June 14
• The Toronto Zoo is hosting an adults-only party on August 31
• Here's everything you can do at Toronto's Redpath Waterfront Festival