Alianait Arts Festival ushers in 20th year with headliners Twin Flames

The Alianait Arts Festival is set to return to Iqaluit for its 20th year this weekend, this time with more of an “Inuit and Indigenous focus” say organizers.

The festival dates are July 6 to 9 this year, a change from previous years where the schedule was more centred around Canada Day.

The move is part of the festival staff and board members’ goal of increasing the number of Indigenous artists in the lineup and making things more Inuktitut-centric, said Alianait staff member Victoria Perron.

“One of the changes that we’ve decided to make is move the dates to Nunavut Day [July 9] because it really reflects more of those values and it makes it a little more unique celebrating the territory as opposed to Canada Day,” she said.

The shift in dates is also practical, Perron said, as it allows artists booked to perform at Canada Day events to also play at the Alianait Arts Festival.

Taking place under the Canadian North Big Top Tent in the Nakasuk school parking lot, the lineup includes folk band Twin Flames; Nanook, as an unplugged duo; Aqgaaqtoq; country band Brothers Wilde; and Red Rhythm and Blues.

There will be a spoken word collaboration with poets from across the Arctic, including Aka Niviâna, Parnaq Hammond Iversen, Timimie Gassko Märak, Taqralik Partridge, and Marita Solberg.

Perron said the festival’s mission is to “help build a healthier Nunavut through the arts ” and to provide strong programming for the event.

People can purchase tickets through Eventbrite, at the door, or at Arctic Ventures. A full schedule is on Alianait’s Facebook page.