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- By Native News Online Staff
The highly anticipated CIRCLES music festival is returning to Vancouver once again on August 26. The festival will showcase the richness of Indigenous culture and art at Sunset Beach Park.
Presented by Decolonial Clothing and ALIVE society, the ground breaking event made history with 4,000 attendees in its first year, and Circles festival is now the largest Indigenous music and arts festival in North America.
“CIRCLES festival moves beyond music, we foster healing through celebration by providing a safe and welcoming space to gather. Rooted in our cultural values of reciprocation, CIRCLES festival seeks to impact and uplift urban Indigenous communities and center the voices of Indigenous people,” Casey Desjarais, co-founder of host Decolonial Clothing, told Native News Online.
Desjarlias along with Dakota Bear co-founded Decolonial Clothing, which works to increase the visibility of Indigenous people and encourages decolonization through clothing.
“We’ve mentored over 100 plus Indigenous youth into business, and have been supporting our community in various ways to help bring positive change through our business,” Bear told Native News Online.
CIRCLES celebrates the Indigenous community’s creativity and amplifies the voices of Indigenous youth. This year’s festival includes hip-hop musicians, dancers, speakers, and visual artists taking the stage.
The festival’s headliners feature the MTV Video Music Award-winning hip-hop artist Drezus, Juno Award winner Fawn Wood, Afro-Indigenous hip-hop Juno nominated icon Boslen and Social Media influencer and traditional hoop dancer Notorious Cree.
A Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and Girls (MMIWG+) fashion show tribute by Decolonial Clothing and Native by Nature will be showcased. The fashion show will be showcasing pieces the brands have created together to raise awareness on #searchthelandfill movement.
“It is important that we create opportunities for the community to connect to culture and creativity and to inspire the youth to participate in building healthy spaces for gatherings,” said Desjarais.
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