2023 K'ómoks Festival

You are invited to come and enjoy the 2023 K'ómoks Festival in the beautiful Comox Valley this National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, 2023.

Invite your friends, bring your neighbours and head on down for an afternoon of fun in the Land of Plenty!

The K'ómoks Festival will provide an opportunity to gather and share in the art of storytelling, dance, culture, craftsmanship, heritage, stewardship and community!

Invite your friends, family and co-workers to come and spend an afternoon of outdoor fun with you in the beautiful Comox Valley.

Festival Event Details:

We will be coming together on June 21, 2023 to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day from 9AM - 7PM.

The Main Public Event is 3:00PM to 7:00PM. The full agenda is available on the website.
We will celebrate together through art, music, dance, workshops, kids zone, obstacle course, cardboard paddle making, storytelling, and delicious food... plus over $2,000 in door prizes!

Speaker Highlights:

• Keynote Speaker: Joanna Recalma, Qualicum and 'Namgis Family Law and Indigenous Rights.We are honoured to have Joanna Recalma as our Keynote Speaker for this year's festival. Joanna will share her thoughts on, Reconciliation and Reckoning within the Canadian Legal System. 
• ​Dr. Dorothy Kennedy: Place Names & Stories: History of the Merging of Two Indigenous Cultures. K’όmok place-naming is deeply rooted in human experience, in this instance, an experience involving merging two distinct cultures, one Salishan and the other Lekwiltok. 
  Join us as we explore those concepts in Dr. Dorothy Kennedy’s talk, The Storied Land of Plenty. Her presentation will be at 11:15 AM during the invitation-only morning program
• Panikpak Letitia Pokiak will be sharing a talk on Climate Change as part of our morning program at this year's festival. ​Panikpak is from Tuktuuyaqtuuq located in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, of the Western Arctic, North West Territories. As an Inuvialuk, she was raised traditionally in Inuvialuit Nunangat, her arctic homeland, which frames her lens and worldview.

K'ÓMOKS EDUCATION PANEL / 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Join us to hear from an amazing panel of Indigenous Educators who inspire, enlighten and encourage Indigenous people of all ages on the importance of education and the opportunities to help get us there! The panel discussion will include: Student Housing, Programs and Services and  Stories of Success

• Kelly Shopland – K’omoks First Nation Member, Executive Director – Indigenous Education, North Island College
• Lalita Kines – K’omoks First Nation Member, Director, Indigenous Strategic Priorities and Community Engagement, University of Victoria
• Caitlin Dyck – K’omoks First Nation Member, Research and Administrative Assistance, National Consortium for Indigenous Economic Development
• Brent Mainprize: The Importance of Indigenous Economic Development & the National Consortium for Indigenous Economic Development (NCIED).
• Susan Leslie – Mi’kmaw, Vice Chair, School District #71 Board Member
• Felicity Chitty, Education Coordinator, K’omoks First Nation, Anishinaabe, Ojibwe from Alderville First Nation

Supporting Organizations:

A very special thank you to our Band, sponsors and the volunteers from the Farmer's Kitchen, Lush Valley Food Action Society, Providence Health Care, MOSAIC Forestry Management, CIBC, North Island College, 98.9 Jet FM, Aldred Restaurants Ltd., Myra Falls, Department of National Defence, Providence Living, Chan Nowosad Boates Chartered Professional Accountants, Comox Valley Child Development Association, Village of Cumberland, Cowichan Valley Regional District, City of Courtenay, our Elders, Community Members & Comox Valley Community. You are amazing!