A local festival is returning to Walpole Island for a second year to celebrate community, Indigenous voices and the healing power of music.
Walapalooza will kick off at Highbanks Park on September 29 and will feature several Indigenous artists and performers.
The free two-day event will also run on September 30, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day.
“One of the things we’re trying to get all of the people that come and attend on the 29th or 30th [to do] is to wear orange,” said organizer Harmony Blackbird. “We actually going to be doing a residential school survivors special on [September 30] for our survivors, so we’re really looking forward to that and honouring the children that survived and also those who did not make it.”
The festival is once again being organized by the Bkejwanong Family Well Being Program, with additional help from the Bkejwanong Youth Council.
Organizer Romaine Peters said events like these bring communities together.
“Walapalooza is about promoting family well-being and being able to create new memories with the Indigenous artists that we invite to our community and also our surrounding communities,” she said. “This is about being a community together.”
For updates on Walapalooza 2023 and for more information, click here.
