Last year, RAVEN hosted a series of fundraising concerts from Montreal to Vancouver. Thousands of people came to watch shows from shore, or joined by canoe/kayak/paddleboard, creating a really fun, covid-safe floating festival vibe: see video below for some flavour! We raised $80k for RAVEN’s Indigenous legal defence fund, supporting First Nations legal challenges protecting land, air and water for future generations.
We are currently looking for folks to help with 2022’s Festival Afloat. Whether you are a seasoned organizer, or a business/solo enterprise looking for ways to step up in support of Indigenous justice, we can support you to be part of a fabulous show.
Interested in organizing or sponsoring a show? contact Caitlyn Kerr, who is RAVEN’s outreach and event organizer extraordinaire!
Note: while we love it when a venue can be found that allows for floating stages and ‘float-up’ audiences, not every show needs to be on the water. RAVEN organizers held a great ‘on-land’ jazz concert in Montreal last year: parks, backyards, and pubs are also legit spots to host a show.
If you are in the Gulf Islands/Salish Sea area, it gets even easier! From July 7-17, we’ll be touring from town to town aboard the Providence, a tall sailing ship that will serve as a stage for Festival Afloat. Right now, we’re looking for people on the islands, the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Saanich peninsula/Brentwood Bay who could help host a Providence landing party! We’re also looking for sponsors who want to be part of a splashy event : last year, we reached thousands of people with coverage on CTV, Georgia Straight, The Daily Hive and (of course) the socials.
Festival Afloat is a feel good story: it’s a charming, joyful event that lets people gather in covid times to celebrate in support of Indigenous culture, environmental rights and climate justice. It’s a really fun way to put solidarity with Indigenous Peoples into action, right where you live.
Learn more and sign up here: https://raventrust.com/paddle/
