TORONTO, March 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celebrate and honour springtime at Ziigwan (SEE-gwon), a free three-day Indigenous music and arts festival at Yonge-Dundas Square, March 24 - 26, 2023.
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and Downtown Yonge BIA, in collaboration with ELMNT FM Radio, Red Music Rising, and Music Tourism, are pleased to reveal the complete artist and vendor lineup for the festival, featuring some of the most prominent and emerging Indigenous artists, creators, and entrepreneurs.
| BLACKIE & THE RODEO KINGS ⧫ DJ SHUB ⧫ NORTHERN CREE JULIAN TAYLOR ⧫ DIGGING ROOTS ⧫ AYSANABEE BOOGEY THE BEAT ⧫ TIA WOOD ⧫ LOGAN STAATS STATUS/NON-STATUS ⧫ SHAWNEE KISH ⧫ BULLHORN SINGERS W/ SPECIAL GUEST NOELLE ⧫ SEBASTIAN GASKIN ⧫ NIMKISH YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE MARCH 24 - 26, 2023 downiewenjack.ca/events/ziigwan |
Beginning Friday at 4:30pm and continuing all weekend, the following Indigenous vendors will be serving up food, beadwork, clothing, and more as part of the festival.
Sunday, March 26 is Family Day at Ziigwan, where GoodMinds Indigenous Books will sell a variety of books catered to children and youth, and the Strong Water Singers will facilitate learning activations so children and families can engage in meaningful conversations about Indigenous cultures.
Later that day, Elder Dr. Duke Redbird will join us to close this important gathering in a good way, sharing his thoughts on Ziigwan (springtime) and our collective journey toward reconciliation. Dr. Redbird is an Elder from the Saugeen First Nation and a celebrated Indigenous Visionary, intellectual, poet, broadcaster, and filmmaker.
Ziigwan, the Anishnaabemowin word for springtime, celebrates the healing and learning power of music and art, the rebirth of spring, and the collective awakening. The festival aims to bring people together in one of the city’s most prominent spaces, collectively reemerging from the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This project is being made possible and funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
PARTNER INFORMATION:
ABOUT THE GORD DOWNIE AND CHANIE WENJACK FUND: Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.
ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN YONGE BIA: The Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) is a catalyst for creating vibrant urban experiences and events in the heart of downtown Toronto. Representing more than 2,000 businesses and their employees, as well as the broader community of residents, students and visitors, the DYBIA champions attractive public spaces, popular events, safety and cleanliness. It plays an active role both at street level and in boardrooms, advocating for a thriving and diverse community of retailers, restaurants and services.
ABOUT ELMNT FM RADIO: 106.5 ELMNT FM is Toronto’s only Indigenous-owned radio station. Owned and operated by First Peoples Radio and launched in October 2018, 106.5 ELMNT FM plays the latest pop, hip-hop and R&B, while promoting some of the best First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists working today.
ABOUT RED MUSIC RISING: Launched in January 2020 in partnership with Dadan Sivunivut, Red Music Rising is a holistic music company. A full-service artist management company and record label, owned and managed entirely by Indigenous individuals, with a mission to help develop robust, sustainable, life-long careers for Indigenous artists and industry professionals. Matt Maw (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation) is Red Music Rising’s Director & Lead Artist Manager. Matt brings over a decade of multi-faceted music industry experience to Red Music Rising, along with a passion for artist development and a mission to amplify Canada's Indigenous talent on the global stage.
ABOUT MUSIC TOURISM: Specializing in music city and music tourism industry consultancy and business development, Music Tourism is led by Chris Campbell, an inventive, collaborative, and self-motivated music, entertainment, and tourism industry professional with decades of experience in strategic planning, event acquisition and major event management. We specialize in the creation and implementation of music city and music tourism strategies. Working together with your industry stakeholders we will maximize economic and socio-economic potential.
