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Aboriginal Day Live and Celebration is an annual event hosted by APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
It follows the Saturday after National Aboriginal Day on June 21 and it is a day long celebration of culture and music at The Forks in Winnipeg.
The day culminates in a live broadcast on APTN of a free concert featuring some of the biggest acts in Aboriginal music like Kashtin and Joey Stylez.
A simultaneous concert is also taking place in Regina featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie and Stevie Salas.
Need more reasons to go? Okay, here they are:
1. It's for everyone not just Aboriginal Peoples! Beginning at noon and running through to 11 p.m.-ish, there are musical acts, artisans, food...
2. Sagkeeng's Finest. The Canada's Got Talent winners will perform at the First Nations Bank stage (located next to the main stage) throughout the afternoon starting at 12:30 p.m. And if you haven't seen their feet fly on stage, prepared to be amazed.
3. Live broadcast. APTN will broadcast the concert starting at 8 p.m. with seven great acts on the Scotia Bank Stage at The Forks, including a one-time special reunion of Kashtin! You could be part of the live audience. Look mom, I'm on TV.
4. Indian City. Oh yes it will be! But this Indian City is an Aboriginal super group that features Manitoba favourite Don Amero, the founder of Eagle and Hawk - Vince Fontaine, Winnipeg's favourite radio personality as voted in Uptown - William Prince, aka Big Will, with traditional vocals by Ray "Coco" Stevenson and dancer Buffy Handel.
5. The food. Ever wonder what bannock or bison stew tastes like? Visit the mobile kitchen where each meal is prepared by the chefs and students from Red River College Culinary program.
6. Artists Market. Feathers have been big on the fashion scene this year and you don't have to be Aboriginal to sport them. But why not buy them from an Aboriginal artisan and support the community?
7. North End Project. Toronto-based production company Big Soul Productions hosts a speakers corner along with auditions for a new TV show that will be shot in Winnipeg titled The North End Project.
8. Aboriginal Music Week. The annual festival will be there selling tickets to Kinnie Starr's show at the West End Cultural Centre on June 28. For every ticket sold, Aboriginal Music Week will give you a free compilation CD of artists booked for th festival that runs October 30 - November 3.
9. Soap stone carving. You may not be as good as some of the amazing Inuit artists who do this for a living but you can try your hand at by picking up a tool and carve out what inspires you.
10. It's free! What other incentive do you need?
06/23/12 >> go there