National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations coming on Saturday June 20th!

K’ómoks First Nation and their community and cultural partners are inviting the Comox Valley to come together to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day 2026 and the unique contributions and cultures of First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities locally and across Canada. This FREE community celebration takes place on Saturday June 20th from 2 pm till 9 pm at the beautiful Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds

This year’s celebration includes interactive Youth and Elder Zones, K’ómoks cultural resource and archeology displays, guided walks to the Tsolum River, live screen printing, story telling and knowledge sharing, delicious food vendors including a traditional salmon BBQ, over 30 Indigenous craft vendors, cultural and community tents, and live music from world class Indigenous artists including The Spiritual Warriors, Tsimka and Michael Red, LOV, and 4 time Juno Award Winner Aysanabee!

Aysanabee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter currently based in Toronto. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario. A four time JUNO winner, Aysanabee merges indie, soul, and electronic sounds with mournful saxophone and pulse-quickening fingerpicking, exploring themes of memory and storytelling.

Solemn and soaring, his striking sound is equal parts hypnotic and melodic which has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon and Sam Smith. On March 23, 2024, Aysanabee made history as the first ever Indigenous Artist to win the JUNO Awards for both Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the year, for Here and Now, his sophomore album. This year he won JUNOs for both Alternative Album and Indigenous Artist of the Year for his 2025 album Edge of the Earth!

Tsimka & Michael Red is a collaboration of music from the land and from the heart.  Rooted in ancestral Tla-o-qui-aht homelands, Tsimka works with Nuuchahnulth singing traditions along with contemporary inspirations as part of her musical expression. She often invokes Tla-o-qui-aht language in her songs, integrating language revitalization into the experience and tapping into cultural teachings, imagery and love of her home.

Michael Red fills out the rest of the music, beats and atmospheres *all* created from blending & morphing & affecting natural sounds recorded primarily on Tsimka’s ƛaʔuukwiʔatḥ home territory. Sounds like Cixwatsac (Frank Island frogs), Swainson’s Thrush, and other birds, a little creek at Hiłwinʔis, ocean, rain, mist and ice. Together they express a human experience with observations and emotions that arise with desire, joy, care, resiliency, and kinship.

The Spiritual Warriors create music inspired by the land and life in the coastal mountains of the Lil’wat Nation, Mount Currie BC. With their unique blend of indigenous chants and contemporary roots, rock, reggae, The Spiritual Warriors are distinctly west coast.

This internationally acclaimed band performs most of their songs in U’cwalmicwts (the Lil’wat Language) and are passionate about preserving and promoting their language and culture. They use the chanting styles of the Lil’wat/St’at’imc people to fuse with reggae and rock to create uplifting contemporary Indigenous world music. This truly unique band will take you on a cultural journey to the natural heartbeat of the Indigenous drum and the St’at’imc people.

LOV is a force of resilience, rhythm, and reinvention. Hailing from Poundmaker Cree Nation, Treaty 6, Saskatchewan, LOV transforms personal trials into soulful affirmations of strength and independence. With a sound rooted in UK-inspired soul and guided by a deep sense of purpose, LOV’s music is both healing and unapologetically empowering.

Her journey took a pivotal turn when she decided to fully embrace her artistry – stepping into her truth and reshaping her narrative. What followed was a rebirth. LOV’s rich, smoky vocals channel raw emotion into songs that carry the weight of lived experience while remaining light enough to dance to. Whether she’s celebrating matriarchal strength or voicing quiet moments of reflection, her music resonates with sincerity and grace.

Cultural and Community Partners for this year’s celebrations include Kumugwe Cultural Society, Queneesh Indigenous Community Society, Wachiay Friendship Society, MIKI’SIW Métis Association, Indigenous Women’s Sharing Society, Upper Island Women of Native Ancestry, City of Courtenay, Town of Comox, Village of Cumberland and Comox Valley Regional District.

Volunteers are still welcome for this year’s celebration, with a special meal for all volunteers provided by LUSH Valley! The volunteer sign up, event details, stage schedules, community sponsors can be found at https://komoks.ca/nipd-2026/

For more information message communications@komoks.ca