WHITEHORSE—The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Governor General of Canada are taking part in a community festival on Main and Front streets in Whitehorse on Wednesday. The event honours the royal visitors, provides a street party for locals and celebrates the creativity of Yukon youth with performances and exhibitions.
“The community festival is a special Yukon gift to our visitors and to Yukoners, as well as a wonderful way to honour our youth,” Minister of Tourism and Culture Elaine Taylor said. “The presence of media from around the globe will ensure that the creative talent of our youth and the warm hospitality offered by Yukoners is shared far and wide.”
The royal party will tour visual art exhibits and meet youth carvers and artists from the Northern Cultural Expressions Society, Splintered Craft and BYTE – Empowering Youth Society.
"All of us at BYTE are really looking forward to the upcoming community festival—it's exciting for such a big event to be so focused on Yukon youth,” executive director Shelby Maunder said. “At BYTE, we aim to empower and celebrate young people and the festival is a great way to recognize the amazing work that youth are doing in our communities!”
Youth performers will entertain the visitors and the crowds with music and dance. The show features the Chunday K'anat'a dancers, singer Calla Kinglit, fiddling brothers the Taggart-Cox Trio, the Northern Lights School of Dance, the Fiddleheads, the Breakdancing Yukon Society's Cypher Citizens, Patrick Hamilton and Fiona McTaggart, students from the Music, Art and Drama (MAD) program, and dance band Major Funk and the Employment.
“The Fiddleheads are honoured to be a part of this great community festival and to have the chance to share the territory's rich fiddle culture with our special guests,” Fiddleheads artistic director Keitha Clarke said. “We've chosen traditional fiddle music from across Yukon for this show, including tunes from Tahltan Elder Gerald Edzerza and Whitehorse fiddle icon Joe Loutchan. We want to present tunes from the past, performed by the fiddlers of the future.”
As well, youth members of the Yukon Circus Society will keep the crowds amused with juggling and unicycling. Vendors, including members of the Fireweed Community Market Society, will be selling crafts, jewelry and refreshments.
“The Fireweed Community Market Society is delighted to be a part of this fun-filled occasion,” executive director Tara Paczkowski said. “Our talented vendors are very excited and enthusiastic about participating in this event—snow, rain or sunshine, nothing will keep them away!”
After the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart the community festival to visit Carcross, the Whitehorse festivities will continue until lunchtime. All roads that are closed for the festival will reopen on Wednesday afternoon.
More info:
Government of Yukon
-30-
Contact:
Michael Edwards
Cabinet Communications
867-633-7910
michael.edwards@gov.yk.ca
Jennifer Gehmair
Communications, Tourism and Culture
867-667-3016
jennifer.gehmair@gov.yk.ca
