Top things to do at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival

This summer, Wesley Clover Parks will once again be transformed over two days by the pow wow drum beat of the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival. The location just west of Ottawa, near Moodie Drive, promises crowd favourites like Mādahòkì Farm's Ojibwe Spirit Horses, as well as some exciting new additions. 

“The success of the festival led to the move from (Mādahòkì) Farm,” says Trina Simard, Founder and CEO, Indigenous Experiences, which runs Mādahòkì Farm and produces the event. “We moved it to the farm during COVID, from Vincent Massey Park, where there were crowds of 60,000. Post-COVID, we didn’t expect the in-person crowds to grow back so quickly. So last year we moved over to Wesley Clover Parks to accommodate the growing crowds and need for parking.” 

New features this year include the smoke dance category in the competition pow wow and the “150 years of the Indian Act Pavilion”. The pavilion, Simard says, “creates a space for people to learn about Indigenous ways of life before contact, understand the lasting impacts of the Indian Act, and engage in reconciliation and action today.” 

That theme continues with the CAA North & East Ontario sponsored glow-in-the-dark pow wow dance party and drone show, which you can enjoy after you’ve had fun with horses and a fill of venison tacos, elk burgers or arctic char. 

Mādahòkì Farm's Ojibwe Spirit Horses  

Although horses were important both pre- and post-colonial times, Canada has only one Indigenous breed, the Ojibwe Spirit Horse. The festival is a chance to meet some of these small, hardy ponies known for an extra nose flap, tiger-like leg stripes and a dorsal strip on their back. There will also be a roping activation where young wranglers can learn about and participate in hands-on activities.  

Family fun zone  

The Family Fun Zone is happening on both days of the festival, with face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo and more. You can even learn the basic skills of lacrosse – the oldest team sport in North America with roots stretching back to Indigenous origins - or play traditional Inuit games.  

Workshops and demonstrations 

Looking to just watch and absorb the atmosphere? There will be live demonstrations ranging from drumming, singing, and storytelling with Janet McCue and Conundrum to a carving demonstration with Haudenosaunee Knowledge Keeper David Maracle. 

Workshops include how to make dreamcatchers, medicine bags, Mother Earth No Face dolls, and corn husk dolls (workshops are $40 each).  

Competition pow wow  

A feature of the festival, once again, is the competition pow wow’s dance and drum competitions, which draw participants from across North America. With over $ 100,000 in prizes, the dance competition includes Traditional, Fancy, Grass, and Jingle, as well as the new Smoke Dance category. The Drum Roll Call is Saturday, June 20, at 11:45 a.m., with competitions from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and at noon on Sunday, June 21. 

Siqiniup Qilauta Inuit throat singing and more  

The Celebration Stage is the place to catch live performances on both Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday with the Rabbit and Bear Paws Puppet show and finishing on Sunday with Algonquin language bingo at 3:30 p.m. The Celebration Stage also features performances by World Champion Hoop dancer Scott Sinquah, Inuit throat singers Siqiniup Qilauta and much more. 

Glow-in-the-dark pow wow dance party and drone show

The first day of the Festival finishes with music, lights and storytelling. The Glow-in-the-dark pow wow dance party (Saturday, 9:00 p.m.) features Classic Roots, an Ojibwe/Blackfoot DJ who blends pow wow music with contemporary electronic sounds to create high-energy music and a dance experience you can move to 

Following that, at 10:00 p.m. is the drone show (weather permitting). “With our first drone show, people’s reactions were almost indescribable,” says Simard, “watching impressively cool images produced by 200 drones, with things like canoes moving on water, along with storytelling. It’s quite a different experience from fireworks, and not just because it’s animal-friendly. Overall, the festival is a really fun and friendly family event.”  

CAA North & East Ontario acknowledges that the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place on the traditional and unceded territories of the Algonquin peoples. 

Save while in Ottawa 

When planning your next trip to Ottawa, don’t forget your CAA Membership. Members save up to 20 per cent on VIA Rail’s best available fares, reserve and save 10 per cent off the already discounted online rate at Park’N Fly locations and on hotels.