Four days of Indigenous music, dance, ceremony, and gathering. All events are alcohol- and substance-free. Most programming is based at the Farmers Institute on Salt Spring Island, with the Indigenous Art Show running at ArtSpring through July 3. More events across Salt Spring and the neighbouring islands will be announced.
The whole weekend on a single page. Tap to enlarge, or download to print and share.
An exhibition of work by Indigenous artists in ArtSpring's gallery and lobby, open to the public through July 3, with a Closing and Meet the Artists event from 12:00 to 2:00 PM on July 2, 2026.
Quw'utsun' Cultural Connections Society
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Opening day. An immersive exhibit exploring truth, reconciliation, and the journey of generations — including local Salt Spring Island history.
Quw'utsun' Cultural Connections Society
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Elders Circle 12:00 – 4:00 PM.
Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Free to browse.
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Led by Elder Daniel Elliott & Elder Robert George, with movement facilitation by Seónagh Kummer & Robbyn Scott
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute Mainstage, Salt Spring Island
Featuring Kai Barrette
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Free admission.
Quw'utsun' Cultural Connections Society
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Elder Jo-Ina Young
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Elder Jo-Ina Young
Tipi, Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Dr. Dave Schaepe · Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre
Tipi, Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Stó:lō Nation's investigations of Indian Residential Schools and Hospital in the Fraser Valley. Presented with the Salt Spring Island Public Library.
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Kate Roland & Family
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Kai Tocher
Tipi, Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Quw'utsun' Cultural Connections Society
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Elders Circle 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, followed by tear down.
Elder Jo-Ina Young
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute Hall, Salt Spring Island
Elder Jo-Ina Young
Tipi, Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Sherry Leigh Williams · her new Michif-language children’s book, Papaashi Bufloo — The Buffalo Who Raced Horses
Tipi, Farmers' Institute Fairgrounds, Salt Spring Island
Reading and book giveaway. Funded by Métis Nation British Columbia.
Cowichan Tribes
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
Sliding scale · Suggested donation $20 · no one turned away
Tonya Horoky Cooper, Laura Mulks Elworthy, Sacheen Paul
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
With Pierre Schreyer (fiddle) & Adam Dobres (guitar)
Farmers' Institute, Salt Spring Island
More Indigenous Peoples Day events are happening around Salt Spring and the neighbouring Gulf Islands over the weekend, presented by friends and partners of IPW. Times and details are set by each host — follow the links for the latest.
Salt Spring Arts Council · Artcraft
Mahon Hall, Salt Spring Island
Visiting artists: Howard LaFortune Sr. (SȾÁUTW̱ · Tsawout, wood carving) and Tuesday LaFortune (Nuu-chah-nulth, beading).
Salt Spring Arts Council · Artcraft
Mahon Hall, Salt Spring Island
Visiting artists: Katie Phillips (Quw’utsun’, beading) and Margaret August (shíshálh — painting, drawing & carving).
The Meadow behind United Church, 111 Hereford Ave, Salt Spring Island
Two acclaimed Indigenous artists headlining the Farmers Institute mainstage.
Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and storyteller, Ed Peekeekoot is a skilled and seasoned performer with a timeless kind of cool that appeals to audiences of all ages. His performances move from blazing guitar work to foot-stomping fiddle and haunting Native flute — all sprinkled with his Cree humour and philosophy.
From the Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Ed now lives on Vancouver Island. He has been a solo musician for over forty years, including many memorable performances at Cowboy Poetry gatherings in Canada and the US.
Ed’s music has received much recognition over the years, including the “Healing Flute Award” at the 2021 Native American Style Flute Awards.
Dene fiddler Wesley Hardisty brings his bow to the IPW26 mainstage as one of the weekend’s headliners — a dynamic festival-stage performer whose playing carries the drive and joy of the fiddle tradition.
A closer look at the bands bringing blues, soul, roots, and dance-floor energy to the weekend.
Big Hank & The Smokin’ Hot Toasters deliver a powerhouse blend of rhythm & blues, swing, soul, and roots music that keeps audiences on their feet from the first note to the last.
Led by veteran bluesman Big Hank Lionhart, whose career spans more than six decades, the band traces its roots to the legendary Western Canadian blues scene of the 1980s. Throughout their storied history, The Smokin’ Hot Toasters have shared stages with iconic artists including The Neville Brothers, Koko Taylor, John Mayall, Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, and George Thorogood, building a reputation for electrifying live performances and irresistible dance-floor grooves.
Known for their tight arrangements, powerful vocals, and groove-filled sound, the band combines classic rhythm & blues, jump blues, swing, soul favourites, and original material into a show that appeals to music lovers of all ages. Festival favourites across Western Canada, they have appeared at major events including the Edmonton International Blues Festival, Calgary International Blues Festival, Victoria Harbour Blues Festival, and numerous theatres and concert venues throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
Today, Big Hank & The Smokin’ Hot Toasters continue to bring their signature blend of musicianship, humour, and high-energy entertainment to audiences across the West, proving that great rhythm and blues never goes out of style.
Auntie Kate & The Uncles are a Vancouver Island-based blues, soul, R&B, jazz, and funk band known for their infectious grooves, strong musicianship, and dynamic live performances. Fronted by the soulful vocals of Auntie Kate, the band brings together classic rhythm and blues, jazz standards, funk favourites, and danceable roots music that keeps audiences engaged from the first song to the last.
A regular favourite at venues such as Hermann’s Jazz Club and festivals throughout Vancouver Island, Auntie Kate & The Uncles have built a loyal following through their warm stage presence, tight arrangements, and love of great music. Whether performing blues, soul, jazz, or funk, the band delivers a joyful celebration of rhythm, community, and live performance.
With powerful vocals, seasoned musicians, and an irresistible groove, Auntie Kate & The Uncles continue to delight audiences wherever they perform.
The Boneyard Babes are a combination of Indigenous and queer-identifying musicians committed to building a sense of community through music. With a wide repertoire of originals, traditional folk, roots, and old country, their sound is embodied percussion, deep rich harmonies, and a powerful female presence — evoking a deep sense of healing connection to Mother Earth and Turtle Island.
Nancy Potvin (vocals/guitar) is Anishinaabe kwe from the Kebaowek and Nipissing First Nations, from a large musical family, writing powerful songs around the issues facing Indigenous people. Kathy Omalley (percussion) began on piano at six and drummed for one of Victoria’s earliest all-female punk bands. Jennifer Louise Taylor (guitar, baritone ukulele, vocals) writes songs that bring people together.
Storyteller, historian, and cultural performer Kate Roland has over forty years of experience captivating audiences. Her performances blend traditional storytelling, music, and historical insight, sparked in childhood by her Uncle Paul’s stories of the early Kanakas.
Kate shines a spotlight on the integral — yet often forgotten — role of Hawaiians in shaping the Pacific Northwest. From the early 1800s, Native Hawaiians played a crucial part in the fur trade as labourers, canoe middlemen, farmers, and mill workers; many remained, married into Indigenous communities, and became some of the earliest pioneers of British Columbia and beyond.
Join Kate and her family as they tell the history of some of the earliest pioneers of BC — the Kanaka Maoli.
Led by Mi’kmaq musician Edgar Hann on button accordion, the Edgar Hann Band brings foot-stomping, button-box-driven roots music to the Farmers Institute mainstage.
Led by Maka Gallinger, Maka & 808 Ohana bring Hawaiian song, ukulele, and warm island harmonies to the weekend — a celebration of Kanaka Maoli music and aloha.
Métis dancer Danielle Enblom performs Métis and Irish step dance, joined on stage by Pierre Schreyer on fiddle and Adam Dobres on guitar — a lively meeting of step, string, and rhythm.
Salt Spring Island’s high-energy classic rock and blues band — eight seasoned professionals featuring three powerhouse lead vocalists, rich harmonies, and a non-stop dance-floor setlist. At its heart are Red River Métis cousins Tonya Horoky Cooper and Sherry Leigh Williams.
Métis and First Nations voices from Salt Spring and beyond, taking the Farmers Institute stage with the House Band.
A powerhouse vocalist and percussionist with an extraordinary range — from the raw intensity of Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin to the nuance of jazz. As Local Motion’s frontwoman, Tonya moves effortlessly between grit and grace, commanding every room she plays.
Of Red River Métis descent through the Lafrenière dit Desrosiers family, she spent three decades in Toronto’s blues clubs before returning to Salt Spring Island to raise her family. A versatile performer, she has also worked in musical theatre and is a songwriter in her own right.
An Anishinaabe/Ojibwe Métis musician and ceramic sculptor, Laura proudly descends from the historic Bottineau and LaPointe families of the Métis Nation, tracing her lineage to the celebrated Métis guide Pierre Bottineau and the Red River and Pembina regions.
For Laura, singing is a sacred act — a deep, resonant connection she otherwise finds only in the stillness of nature or in shaping clay. On stage she invites listeners into a space of harmony where song becomes a bridge between the land, the spirit, and the enduring strength of her Métis heritage.
Sacheen Paul is a local performer. An emerging artist, this is her first time on the big stage — performing with the House Band.
A Métis singer, songwriter, visual artist, and community arts producer with roots in the Red River Métis tradition, Sherry brings warmth, storytelling, and authenticity to every performance — spanning folk, country, blues, jazz, Celtic, and original song. She learned at the feet of her Métis fiddle-player grandfather Leon “Pete” Williams and her mother Evelyn.
A graduate of the University of Victoria (BFA, Distinction), Sherry is the founder of Sweetgrass Arts and Music Society of Salt Spring Island and a passionate supporter of emerging artists, creating musical experiences that connect people through story, culture, and song.
A Métis bass player and vocalist, Bill Steiner anchors the low end both in the House Band and with the Edgar Hann Band.
Performers supported by The House Band — Kai Barrette (Métis), Bill Steiner (Métis), Wilf Davies, Mark Nordine, Mike Lurincic
Traditional dance and ceremony on the Farmers Institute mainstage.
Most weekend programming is based at the Farmers Institute on Salt Spring Island, with additional events at venues across Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands. The Indigenous Art Show runs at ArtSpring through July 3. The schedule, lineup, and timing are subject to change. Sign up below and we will send you the confirmed program when it lands.
IPW 2026 takes place on Salt Spring Island, within the ancestral and unceded homelands of Hul’q’umi’num and SENĆOŦEN-speaking Coast Salish peoples, including Nations with deep cultural, historical, and ongoing relationships to these lands and waters.
