FREE festival brings Indigenous canoe races to False Creek this weekend
A returning Vancouver festival is bringing Indigenous paddlers from across the Pacific Northwest to False Creek this weekend for exciting canoe races.
The second annual Four Fires Festival is happening at Concord Community Park from July 22 and 23, and there are many cultural events and activities for everyone to enjoy.
Four Fires Festival includes live music, cultural dance groups, multiple food trucks, an artisan market, and dozens of Indigenous paddling teams from Oregon, Washington, and BC.
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The annual event is led by Indigenous organizers and an all-Indigenous board of directors. It is presented by the North Vancouver Canoe Club of Squamish Nation and the Celtic Sunset Canoe Club of Musqueam Nation, with an estimated 50,000 people expected to attend.
Up to 300 competitors in all-ages teams, ranging from children to elite athletes, will participate in 25 races on both Saturday and Sunday.
All Four Fires canoe teams will have a chance to win one of 11 handmade custom canoe paddles, constructed by the local Canoe Cultures program’s tradition artists, valued at $2,500.
Four Fires Festival/Facebook
Organizers explained that the number four is sacred to many Native North American tribes as it represents the four seasons, the four human needs (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual), the four kingdoms (animal, mineral, plant, and human), and the four sacred medicines (sweetgrass, tobacco, cedar, and sage).
They also shared that fire was like a messenger and a gift from their great spirit to Native North Americans. The fire’s smoke was used to clean sacred items such as drums, pipes, and shakers before using them in ceremonies and rituals.
Alex Wells (Four Fires Festival/Facebook)
A variety of Indigenous performers, musicians, and visual artists will take the stage during the 2023 Professional Artists’ Showcase, presented in collaboration with Indigenous-owned fine arts gallery, Skwàchays Lodge. Cultural dance groups from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations will also welcome guests to their ancestral territories.
Attendees can also check out over 100 vendors taking part in the Indigenous Women’s Artisans’ Market as well as works by men at co-owned vendor booths. And make sure to save room for delicious food available during the festival.
Come hungry as there will be ancestral and modern food trends served up, including farm-to-table dishes, curated desserts, bannock and smoked salmon, and more to enjoy.
Four Fires Festival/Facebook
Four Fires Festival 2023
When: July 22 to 23, 2023
Time: 10 am to 7 pm (Saturday), 10 am to 6:30 pm (Sunday)
Where: Concord Community Park, Creekside Park, and False Creek, Vancouver
Admission: Free
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