The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is a First Nations’ gallery and museum showcasing West Coast Indigenous art, culture and historical artifacts in Whistler.

NOTE: On June 21st, the centre has special activities in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Admission is also free that day. For details about the event, see below.

This article contains the following information about the Cultural Centre:

Hours and Admission | Cultural Centre Video | Indigenous Peoples Day | Tips & Advice | Other Information

First Nations Cultural Centre

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre has a First Nations longhouse, theatre, museum and art gallery, as well as a traditional istken building that can be explored. Visitors can expect to spend about an hour at the Centre.

Located in an impressive modern building at 4584 Blackcomb Way in Whistler’s Upper Village, the Centre is a cooperative project between the local Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations.

Hours and Admission

As of May 2024, the Lil’wat Cultural Centre is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm in the slow season, and daily from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm in the summer. Sometimes it is open in the evenings too.

Adult admission is $25. The price is the same for seniors and students. Children between the ages 6 and 18 are charged $12 admission fee. Children under 5 years of age have free admission as do members of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation, provided they show a valid Status Card. Annual passes cost around $50.

Family passes are also available at $50 for the day or $85 for the year.

The Centre hosted a First Nations BBQ on Tuesday evenings most years from May until September last year. The cost was about $65 per adult and $25 for children ages 6 to 12. The dinner included food such as fresh-baked bannock, West Coast salmon, buffalo smokies and other tasty menu items. It’s good food and a cultural experience! Details for 2024 are TBC as of late May.

Cultural Centre Video

Below is a video of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre to give you an idea of what to expect. As you’ll see there is a variety of both contemporary and ancient Indigenous art as well as artifacts and cultural information. The Centre is a beautiful, modern building with lots of light and windows. Not seen in the video are the outdoor exhibits which are equally as interesting.

There are usually free guided tours indoors at the Centre which are highly recommended.

Indigenous Peoples Day

Each year the Centre hosts a few special activities to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day which takes place annually on June 21st.

In 2024 there is an entire month’s worth of special programming on offer at the Centre. That includes forest tours, dreamcatcher and medicine bag craft workshops, Indigenous tea offerings and more.

On June 21st admission to the Centre is free for all, with a special series of events taking place that day. The schedule for June 21st this year is listed below.

8:00 am – Yoga in the Istken Hall
10:00 am – Official Welcome and Spo7ez Performance in the Great Hall
10:30 am – Curator Talk in Gallery 3
11:00 am – Storytelling with Paqemul in the Istken Pithouse
12:00 pm – Speaker Series in the Mezzanine
1:00 pm – Log Blessing in the SLCC Entrance
2:00 pm – Live Summer Salish Carving Series
2:00 pm – Comedy Show in the Theatre
3:00 pm – Fashion Show in the Mezzanine
4:00 pm – Forest Walk
4:30 pm – Film Screening in the Theatre

To learn more about National Indigenous History Month programming check out the Lil’wat Cultural Centre website.

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your visit to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.

TIP #1: Definitely join one of the guided tours if you can. The interpretive tour with a First Nation staff person adds considerably to the experience.

TIP #2: The longhouse or other areas are sometimes not available for viewing due to private functions. Ask in advance if you don’t want to miss anything. The last time we visited, a movie company had rented the outdoor space for a Christmas-themed movie shoot (which explains why there are no outdoor scenes in the above video and why we saw snow and Santa Claus walking around in the middle of July).

TIP #3: Be sure to watch the film in the theatre. It’s well-done and very interesting.

TIP #4: The Centre is wheelchair-accessible.

TIP #5: Written information about the exhibits is available in a number of different languages at the front desk. Languages covered include Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

Other Information

Check out the official Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre website for more information about the facility.

For other places to learn about Indigenous culture, click Lower Mainland First Nations. One place worth visiting, for example, is the Indigenous Sport Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver.

To learn more about the area, see our articles about Whistler, Whistler Village and the Sea to Sky Region. For even more information, check out the website whattodoinwhistler.ca.

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