What is Celebration of Nations?

Celebration of Nations is a partnership and gathering of Indigenous arts, culture and tradition in downtown St. Catharines that started in 2017. 

Celebration of Nations is part of a long-term vision of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Kakekalanicks, and the City of St. Catharines to build on the Two Row Wampum that promotes all Nations walking together, in parallel, with respect, compassion and understanding to cultivate an inclusive community for our shared future.

Part of our year-round programming, Celebration of Nations reaches a crescendo on the weekend after Labour Day annually with a three-day Gathering of Indigenous Arts, Culture, and Tradition that will showcase a wide variety of Indigenous arts and artists, ranging from traditional and contemporary music and dance, visual arts to film screenings, creative workshops, eye-opening teachings, and hands-on activities for both children and adults.

Please visit our About page for more information. 

How can I experience Celebration of Nations?

The 2023 gathering offers in-person events that are both free and ticketed. In-person events take place at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

Where can I find out about the events?

All of this year’s details can be found on our schedule page! Use the boxes on the left to filter our events by type and date. 

How much are tickets? 

Most of our events and teachings are free with the exception of three concerts that take place in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.  Tickets for Homelands and Border Crossing / Blues are $35, while the closing concert featuring Tonemah is pay-what-you-can.

All the activities that take place in the Backyard at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre are FREE. 

All the workshops that are offered require pre-registration. Visit this page for more information about fees, availability and more. 

Who leads Celebration of Nations?

Celebration of Nations is a collaboration between Kakekalanicks Indigenous Arts, and the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. The programming is led by Michele-Elise Burnett (Artistic Director), and Tim Johnson (Artistic Producer) as well as an advisory council. The PAC programming staff are responsible for shaping and producing CofN’s programs with support from the team at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

For more information please visit: https://www.celebrationofnations.ca/about/

Where do I park? 

On-site parking is not available at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre; however, there are more than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots and on city streets within a five-minute walk to the PAC.

Please visit our Venues page for detailed information about parking.