One Great Gathering – APTN Indigenous Day Live

So how did we get here?

In 1999, APTN became the first Indigenous broadcaster in the world. Eight years later, they would begin to host what is now known as the nation’s largest celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, Indigenous Day Live (formerly known as Aboriginal Day Live).

In 1996, National Indigenous Peoples Day was proclaimed by then-Governor Roméo LeBlanc to be celebrated on June 21, and that’s when it was first celebrated. Some key events occurred in years prior which contributed to the proclamation. In 1982, The National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day to be celebrated on June 21. In 1995, The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended that a National First Peoples Day be designated. Also, in 1995, a national conference called The Sacred Assembly, chaired by Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal Peoples to Canada.

National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Breaking down barriers year after year, in tandem with the resiliency and spirit of our Peoples, APTN continues to push the limits in celebration of our achievements. IDL debuted in a park outside APTN’s headquarters in downtown Winnipeg. The first, one-hour concert in the park featured Fiddle master Donny Parenteau, the Asham Stompers, champion hoop dancer Lisa Odig, Juno Award winner Leela Gilday, Nunavut’s own Lucie Idlout, Dead Indians and the internationally renowned C-Weed Band.

The following year, Indigenous Day Live (IDL) moved to the historical Forks, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The celebration evolved to twin stage performances from different locations across the nation, including the very first concert of its calibre in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and has pushed every limit possible in the broadcast world.

Where are we today?

Fast forward to 2017 and IDL makes broadcast history again. IDL went live from eight cities across Canada, including Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Yellowknife, Edmonton and Vancouver, making it the largest celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day to date. The live multi-platform concert broadcast was available to all of Canada, and beyond, via APTN, radio waves and online. Viewer statistics reached 427,000 through the TV broadcast, with 16,361 online viewers and ten radio networks broadcasting to 1,097,000 potential listeners for the total combined reach of over 1.5 million people across all platforms.

On June 23, 2018, National Indigenous Peoples Day, APTN will bring IDL to three cities: Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa.

There are many Peoples that come together to build the elements of music, arts and culture creation throughout our communities. IDL 2018 will fuse musical and dance genres, languages, styles and interdisciplinary arts from across Turtle Island to come together on stage to paint an exciting experience of contemporary Indigenous expression.

All three host cities will offer free day-time activities – and each will be as varied and unique as the culture and people of the region – and are open to everyone. A sunrise ceremony will kick off the celebrations in each city, followed by a full day of free and fun outdoor activities for the whole family. There will be an array of traditional activities, artisans food vendors, Pow Wows and much more.