The Waskesiu Lakeside Music Festival will be featuring Indigenous programming for the first time this year.
The fifth annual festival takes place this weekend at Prince Albert National Park.
“We already have a very good festival,” Jim Kerby, the festival’s co-chair, says. “We thought that this was a good opportunity to use that platform to include Indigenous artists. We would really like to see more people from the Métis and First Nations communities joining us here all the time. I think some of the Indigenous artists and musicians that we have coming are world-renowned.”
Saturday’s events begin at 10 a.m. with Indigenous games for kids.
The main stage entertainment on Saturday includes the Saskatchewan Indigenous Ensemble from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring Raven Reid and The Strong Sisters.
An Indigenous talent showcase will be taking place from noon until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The showcase includes a Métis fiddler, as well as traditional dancing and drumming.
“We basically came up with this idea through the winter and thought that this would be a marvelous opportunity to provide a showcase,” Kerby adds. “We hope this is part of a wider effort of reconciliation.”
The performers at the Indigenous talent showcase are all from Saskatchewan.
(PHOTO: Courtesy of the Waskesiu Lakeside Music Festival Facebook page.)