Come Toward the Fire Festival Returns with Two Days of Indigenous Art and Celebration

This fall, a fire is being rekindled—if reclaiming culture is about sharing and storytelling, then one festival that’s returning to the city is inviting you to pull up a seat and “come toward the fire.”

Now in its fourth year, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire) returns this September with an expanded lineup to celebrate Indigenous community, culture and creativity. Built in partnership by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and the Musqueam Indian Band, this festival aims to amplify Musqueam and Indigenous voices through music, live performances and visual art, providing a joyful gathering for young people and families especially. 

 “Collectively between us, we’re always looking for new ways to figure out how the community can be woven throughout the whole festival program,” says Jarrett Martineau, head curator at the Chan Centre.

That spirit of welcoming is embedded in the name itself: ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl translates to “come toward the fire,” a hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name suggesting a movement of returning Indigenous voices to the forefront, following a generation of removal due to residential schools. “It’s really about a spirit of invitation to everybody. Everybody has a place here next to the fire,” adds Martineau.

This year, the festival is growing to two days of free daytime programming. Music, dance, Indigenous food and artisan vendors will all be back, alongside new additions: Musqueam-led workshops, literary programming curated by Iron Dog Books, and DJs from Indigenous collective HOTLATCH. 

Indigenous film programming also continues, produced in collaboration with imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. Among the highlights is a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary Sugarcane, with music by Odanak composer Mali Obomsawin, who also performs as part of the featured musical duo Deerlady. This spirit of connection carries through the headlining closing concert on Sunday evening, which brings together Grammy-nominated powwow group Northern Cree and Juno-nominated Cree and Salish pop singer Tia Wood. Wood’s father, Earl Wood, is one of Northern Cree’s founding members. “I’m thrilled to be sharing the stage with family and to be back for this incredible festival,” writes Wood. “We’ll be sharing a mix of my favourite songs and some sounds from my latest project; which is soulful, raw and a bit dreamy of course.”

While a number of artists and vendors are returning, Martineau notes a priority on diverse representation, inviting performers from across Canada and the United States. “We want to make sure that we have a pretty diverse representation of [different] genres and also artists from different nations,” he says. “It’s an invitation to artists from all over Turtle Island to come.” 

This year’s lineup spans indie-folk, acoustic music, powwow, pop and country influences. Among the performers are Choctaw singer-songwriter Samantha Crain from Oklahoma; musician Fontine, of Nehiyaw Iskwew heritage from Winnipeg; and nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) singer-songwriter Wyatt C. Louis, born and raised in parts of Treaty Six Territory. 

“There are a lot of [artists] who will be basically making either their debut at our festival or certainly their debut in Vancouver,” adds Martineau. “[It’s] always a really great opportunity for [attendees] to be able to see people that have never played here before.”

Beyond September, the festival is part of a larger movement to celebrate Indigenous artists throughout the year. “This isn’t the only time where you get to see Indigenous performances at the Chan Centre or at UBC,” explains Martineau. “It’s also part of a broader work that we’re doing to make sure that we have Indigenous performances and artists interwoven throughout the whole season.”

Martineau hopes that attendees will come away with a new sense of appreciation for the diversity in Indigenous art and culture: “We welcome everyone to join us and experience firsthand the power and artistry of these wonderful Indigenous artists across multiple artistic disciplines.” 

ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl Come Toward the Fire 2025

September 20-21, 2025

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd.)

Free (tickets required for the closing concert on Sunday)

cometowardthefire.com