After more than a year and a half, live music is back in Thunder Bay.
The Wake the Giant festival gates opened at noon on Saturday and a lineup quickly formed.
The show opened with jingle dress dancers supported by Grammy and Juno nominated group Northern Cree.
While the event featured great musicians, the Wake the Giant movement is bigger than the entertainment factor.
Tanya Talaga hosted the event, and emphasized Indigenous youth are the reason behind the festival.
“We’re here to support our youth because there hasn’t historically been support for our youth in Thunder Bay,” said Talaga. “Many of our children have died in Thunder Bay, many more people have died in Thunder Bay. They’ve died in rivers, they’ve died in streets, and it’s not right. This city has a history of racism, but this city also has a history of hope and love.”
Talaga said putting on an event of this scale is a group effort.
“I have to say I am so privileged to be the host here today, but this event is all put on by [Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School] students, by staff, by teachers,” she explained. “It’s such a special event, it’s a community event for the kids, by the kids, and after this last year and a half with COVID, after what everyone has been through this event means so much to us.”
Fort William First Nation Councillor Michele Solomon also spoke at the beginning of the event, stressing its importance.
“Amazing things are going to happen on this stage that are going to bring together the two worlds that we struggle so greatly sometimes to come together and make sense of, but it’s so important,” said Solomon. “What is the foundation of this event is Thunder Bay welcoming young Indigenous to this community, and keeping them safe.”
The festival also featured a variety of local food vendors, with an estimated 3,900 people attending.
Whether it was hometown favourite Nick Sherman, or headliners Jessie Reyez and Third Eye Blind, it was clear everyone involved was excited to experience live music once again.
