Inuvik's biggest festival is about to make its triumphant return.
The Great Northern Arts Festival (GNAF) is set to run July 10-14. More than 35 artists will be on hand to teach workshops on subjects ranging from making your own beads out of berries to writing your own songs. Oganizers are committed to restoring the festival to its international standard, and artists and acts will come from various locales around the globe.
"I think it really shows how open and welcoming we want to be," said GNAF executive director Adi Scott. "And it also celebrates the unique mix of cultures and backgrounds of the people of Inuvik. I think that Inuvik's rich cultural diversity should have a chance to be displayed through the festival, and through that, allow for exposure to different experiences and art styles.
"It's been really rewarding, and a great learning curve. Talking to really passionate people on the daily has been really lovely," Scott continued.
Adding to the pan-artistic experience will be performances ranging from the Yukon Circus Society, Pan African Dance Heritage and a demonstration on the didgeridoo — an Australian wind instrument — by Neel Dani. Joining the global guests will be many of the longstanding pillars of the festival, including a demonstration of Northern Games, a performance by the Beaufort Delta Drummers and Dancers and the Arctic Fashion Show. Leela and Jay Gilday's roots duo Sechile Sedare and Yukon rock goddess Bria Rose will also make performances alongside Ulukhaktok-born accordionist Devon Notaina. Whitehorse-based Gwaandak Theatre is slated to do several readings of plays as well as teach a workshop on dramatic storytelling.
Admission to the festival is free and the event will span the central core of town, with the art gallery, a stage, carving centre and workshop space at the Midnight Sun Complex. The Inuvik Community Greenhouse is hosting workshops and part of the Arctic market. The Inuvik boardwalk will be the site of the remainder of the Arctic Market. The Inuvik Youth Centre will cater to youth workshops and the main stage at the performance pavilion at Chief Jim Koe Park — also known as the "big white tent."
Arguably Inuvik’s biggest festival, the Great Northern Arts Festival has been a regular part of Northern summers for over 30 years. It was named the Best Music Venue at the 2022 NWT Music Awards, one of the top 25 festivals in North America by Rand McNally Maps, one of the top 50 summertime events in Canada by the Globe and Mail newspaper and one of 400 of the world’s best destinations among all four seasons of travel by National Geographic Magazine. The festival hosts more than 80 artists, 40 performers and showcases in excess of 4,000 pieces of art each year.
Organizers have worked tirelessly to bring the festival back from the brink after it was cancelled abruptly in 2023 due to "staffing concerns." Current GNAF co-chair Luisa Juliana Ospina Suarez previously told NNSL that the board made the decision to reduce the length of the festival to ensure the standard of quality set by previous editions could be maintained.
Festivities kick off July 10, with the Arctic Market at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse open from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and opening ceremonies at the Midnight Sun Complex beginning at 7:30 p.m. Once again, admission is free.