Festival Afloat - Ladysmith

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Tuesday, July 12th, 2022
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

What do you do when your fundraising work is all about gathering crowds, and a global pandemic hits? If you’re RAVEN, you get creative.

At the height of the pandemic, RAVEN launched a concert afloat in the waters just off of Salt Spring Island. At a time when gatherings were all-but banned, here was a way for audience members to gather by canoes, kayak and stand-up paddle board while performers played on a floating stage. The Victoria based organisation went on to raise $80,000 with shows in Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria.

This July, RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) is teaming up with sustainable seafood company SCOUT to launch a bigger, bolder “Festival Afloat” concert series. Now that restrictions are lifting, performers including Juno-nominee Desirée Dawson, Renée Layla and Ms. Pan!k will be giving shows from the deck of the Providence — a gorgeous tall wooden sailing ship and the oldest boat in B.C.

The stage is mobile: and so is this year’s Festival Afloat. The Providence will sail from port-to-port through the Salish Sea, kicking off with a concert at Jericho Beach in Vancouver on July 7th, then heading to Gabriola Island (July 11), Ladysmith (July 12), Sidney (July 13), Pender Island (July 14), Salt Spring Island (July 15) and Galiano Island (July 16).

While it’s fun to paddle up to get a front row seat alongside the Providence, audiences can also catch shows from the beach in most locations. Tickets are by donation and available at https://raventrust.com/paddle.

“First Nations in Canada are on a winning streak in the country’s courts, and hold some of the world’s most powerful environmental rights: but only if they can afford to uphold them in court,” says RAVEN organiser Andrea Palframan.

“Festival Afloat is an amazing way to gather on the water, doing what we love to protect where we live,”explains Palframan. “It’s got all the joy of a festival with a twist: not only does everything we raise support Indigenous Peoples’ rights, but it gives us the opportunity to gather in a magical setting to celebrate the wildly beautiful places that Nations are working so hard to defend.”

In addition to shows on the water, adventurers are invited to sail Vancouver Harbour (July 7, 8, and 9) and Sidney/Gulf Islands (July 14, 16 and 17) aboard the Providence on 3-hour fundraising sailing trips. Indigenous knowledge keepers will serve as guides to the marine ecosystem, while guests can enjoy gourmet ‘seacuterie’ experiences curated by celebrity chef and sustainable seafood entrepreneur Charlotte Langley. Tickets for sailing cruises are available at https://raventrust.com/barefoot-cruises/. Find RAVEN on Instagram to enter to win two free tickets for these unique sailing journeys.

Festival Afloat concerts and cruises are fundraisers for RAVEN: with support from SCOUT, donations to Festival Afloat events will be matched to double the impact of every contribution. Donations are tax deductible in Canada and the U.S.

As owner and ‘chief culinary officer’ of SCOUT, Langley is a passionate advocate for sustainable seafood practices. In addition to partnering with organisations like RAVEN to support marine stewardship, Langley sees Scout’s artisanal canned seafood as a way to bring people delicious seafood that also takes care of our precious waterways. “Since the day I started cooking professionally, I started sourcing my products and understanding the fishermen, the farmers, the producers,” says Langley. “From day one I wanted to see more renewable resources and I wanted to see ways to add a more positive impact to the ocean. It’s always been important to me.”

From protecting the seabed and foreshore in Heiltsuk’s Great Bear Rainforest to pushing back against non-consensual mining in Gitxaala territory, RAVEN’s on-the-water events are about increasing First Nations’ access to justice. Find more info and ways to sign up on the RAVEN website: https://raventrust.com/paddle.