Aboriginal Day Crowds

National Indigenous People’s Day is on June 21. To mark the occasion, First Nations culture is usually celebrated at Vancouver’s Trout Lake in John Hendry Park.

In recent years, this event hasn’t taken place. Hopefully it will again in the future.

Note: Up until just a few years ago, the occasion was known as National Aboriginal Day. Since 2018, however, it is now called National Indigenous Peoples Day.

EVENT STATUS

The festivities at John Hendry Park didn’t happen in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nothing took place in 2021, and it doesn’t look like anything happened in 2022 either. Hopefully the event returns in 2023. Exact details, however, are to be confirmed.

For information about what is happening on June 21st in 2023 see our article about National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Trout Lake Indigenous Celebrations

The City of Vancouver is located on the unceded territory of the local Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish First Nations to whom we are thankful for sharing this beautiful region.

National Indigenous Day is a day to celebrate and honour Canada’s First Nations people and their culture.

Events take place across the Lower Mainland, and the entire country. Some are small and others are larger. Vancouver’s biggest and arguably most impressive National Indigenous Day event happens at Trout Lake.

Date and Location

The National Aboriginal Day celebrations at Trout Lake usually take place on June 21st, regardless of what day of the week it falls. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, celebrations were cancelled in 2020. They were likely cancelled again in 2021 and 2022. Hopefully the event can take place again in 2023.

Trout Lake is a small lake in John Hendry Park which is located at 3300 Victoria Drive just west of South Grandview Highway and Nanaimo Street.

What to Expect

At Trout Lake’s Indigenous Day event expect to see large numbers of local First Nations people (as well as folk from other ethnic backgrounds). Some are dressed in traditional clothing, while most are dressed like every day.

Entertainment at the event usually includes dancing, singing, drumming and other activities celebrating local Indigenous culture. All are welcome.

In 2019, the day began with events in the morning at the Vancouver Friendship Centre which is located at 1607 East Hastings Street. Starting at around 11:00 am there was then a procession to Trout Lake where celebrations continued all afternoon.

National Aboriginal Day — Friendship Walk along Commercial Drive

The Friendship Walk

The Friendship Walk started at the Vancouver Friendship Centre at around 11 o’clock in the morning in 2019. The procession went east along Hastings Street and then south, mostly along Commercial Drive, to Trout Lake. The procession entered the park at the corner of Victoria Drive and around East 15th.

The Friendship Walk is about 3.5 km long and lasts for just under an hour. Up to as many as a couple of hundred people participate in normal years.

The Trout Lake Event

The festivities at Trout Lake are the day’s main event. At Trout Lake there are vendor stalls and food trucks. There is also a main area set up with rows of chairs and a designated stage area. At the lake itself there are also usually a couple of large First Nations canoes which the public is welcome to go out on the water in.

Schedule of Events

For an idea of what to expect at the next event, below is the schedule of events for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Trout Lake in 2019.

At the Vancouver Friendship Centre (in 2019)

9:00 am – Territorial Welcome
9:05 am – Opening Remarks and Dignitary Speeches
9:50 am – Youth Performance
10:00 am – Kwhlii Gibaygum Nisga’a Traditional Dancers
10:15 am – The Wild Goose Moccasin Dancers
11:00 am – The Friendship Walk sets off for Trout Lake

At Trout Lake (in 2019)

12:00 pm – Opening Prayer & Welcome
12:15 pm – Squamish Ocean Canoe Family
12:40 pm – M’Girl
1:05 pm – Orene Askew (aka DJ O Show)
1:30 pm – Sandy Scofield
1:55 pm – Dylan Rysstad
2:25 pm – Wolf & the Raven
2:55 pm – Rex Small Boy
3:20 pm – Powwow Performance & Madelaine McCallum
3:50 pm – Road Engine Dreams
4:20 pm – Murray Porter

Tips and Advice

Below are some suggestions and other information to help you make the most out of your experience at the National Indigenous Peoples Day event at Trout Lake.

TIP #1: If you can go, go! It’s an interesting event and a great way to experience and celebrate local Indigenous culture.

TIP #2: Some people join the event at around 11:00 am for the start of the Friendship Walk. The majority of folk though just go straight to John Hendry Park for the event at Trout Lake. Not many people attend the morning activities at the Friendship Centre as it’s not a huge place.

TIP #3: This is a fairly large event, so parking can be a challenge. Arrive early if you want to find a parking spot anywhere near Trout Lake.

TIP #4: The event at John Hendry Park is Vancouver’s largest Aboriginal Day event. There are other similar events on the same day in other places too, however, including most years in Mission, Port Moody, Richmond and Surrey. Other celebrations also happen on the weekend, including, most years, in Langley and Maple Ridge.