About the Festival

Festival Afloat is a paddle-powered music festival and educational offering that brings together allied businesses and impassioned community members. Our goal?  To raise funds and awareness for Indigenous Nations who are in court to protect the ocean and keep our coast clean!

Festival Afloat is back — grab a paddle for Indigenous Justice!

This summer, RAVEN is back with our unique on-the-water fundraising concert to raise money for access to justice for Indigenous communities. All floating shows are viewable from shore, or paddle up to the sailboat stage by canoe, kayak or SUP. Spread a blanket or throw down a boat in support of Indigenous-led environmental justice! Festival Afloat 2024 is fundraising for Heiltsuk Nation.

Festival Afloat Tickets

June 30, 2024 — Desirée Dawson with Jody Okabe

Vancouver — Jericho Beach

Accessibility info: We strive to make our floating concerts inclusive and accessible to all attendess. As we encourage attendees to join us on the water with a proper PFD, all Festival Afloat shows are accessible via land. For wheelchair users and individuals with mobility aids there will be a designated area which you can enjoy the show. If you require specific assistance or have questions please reach out to Caitlyn at organizer@raventrust.com

Sailing Cruise Tickets

Join RAVEN and The Providence for sailings departing from Vancouver Heritage Harbour (July 1) or Salt Spring Ganges Harbour (July 17 & 18). RAVEN staff will be aboard to host an in depth conversation into the work we do; The Providence staff and the history of the ship while sailing out into the waters. *Sailing is not guaranteed and is dependent on the wind. Please note that The Providence crew do their best to catch the wind and have the sails up during a portion of this sailing.

July 1, 2024 — 11:30am - 3pm

Vancouver — Heritage Harbour Museum

July 1, 2024 — 3:30pm - 7pm

Vancouver — Heritage Harbour Museum

July 18, 2024 — 11:30am - 3pm

Salt Spring Island — Ganges Harbour

July 18, 2024 — 3:30pm - 7pm

Salt Spring Island — Ganges Harbour

Accessibility info: Although we strive to make FAF accessible, we recognize that we've partnered with The Providence which was built in 1903. Mobility aids and wheelchairs are unable to board The Providence. We will also like attendees to know that to access the 'head' (bathroom) you are required to go down a ladder. If you require specific assistance or have questions, please reach out to Caitlyn at organizer@raventrust.com or at (250)410-4397.

Festival Afloat 2024 is supporting:
Heiltsuk Nation's Step Up for Coast Heroes

Heiltsuk Nation is taking Kirby — an oil shipping company — Canada, and British Columbia to court. In the wake of the  catastrophic Nathan E. Stewart spill that spilled toxic fuels into Heiltsuk's marine harvesting areas, this Title case aims to enshrine Indigenous stewardship practices into law to toughen regulations about fossil fuel transport and protect marine ecosystems for future generations. 

By attending Festival Afloat, you’re supporting Heiltsuk Nation to make sure that orcas, salmon, otters — and the coastal communities who care for them — continue to thrive.

Our first year started with just one show, but it planted a seed that has continued to blossom! That seed burst open and from 2021 to 2023 Festival Afloat has raised $200k with concerts happening all over!

Join us this summer to keep the dream afloat!

Featured Artists

Desirée looks up and to the right with a slight smile.

Desiree Dawson — Vancouver, Jericho

Jody smiling slightly at camera

Jody Okabe — Vancouver, Jericho

Stories from Festival Afloat

Thank you for making Festival Afloat 2024 so Magic

It’s always a bit surreal to wrap up Festival Afloat each year. We know we’ve created something so unique and special that brings together lovers of being at sea, with advocates for Indigenous rights, top…

Peach and Quiet perform on the Providence Tall Ship

Peach and Quiet: A last minute addition to Festival Afloat, and it was a beautiful thing

On the sixth and final day of RAVEN’s Festival Afloat 2023, due to unforeseen circumstances, we found ourselves without a musician to perform on Pender Island. Luckily, our brilliant crew and new friends aboard the…

Festival Afloat 2023 Spotlight: a conversation with Hip Hop artist, Higher Knowledge

If you happened to catch us at Festival Afloat Vancouver on July 9, you’ll know that the show was opened by an incredible hip hop artist, HK aka Higher Knowledge! With a crowd of nearly…

Festival Afloat 2023 was Presented by

https://raventrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-ravenlogo-scaled-1.jpg
Prince of Whales 2

2023 Sponsors

SSIFLogo_lg
earnest
coastal bliss (1)
Gulf Island Sea Planes
(1A2.0)WindsureLogo(Wind1.3.1)(WhiteBG)(SmallCircle)(Text2.0)
Jericho Sailing
georgia-straight-logo-tagline-black
Dog Mermaid
Capital Daily Logo
Portable-Electric-Greenwave-Rentals-Logo

Thank you to our partners

providence logo
Silva Bay
mill bay
Ganges-Logo1-300x297

WE ARE RAVEN:
Changing the Landscape, One Victory at a Time.

“It’s not every day that we come across an organization such as yours that would assist First Nations with such a cause as ours. Mahsi cho for all your efforts and RAVEN for providing fundraising and support to the Peel Land Use Planning court session. It has been an honor to work with you on this initiative.”

— Chief Roberta Joseph, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in

"We are the legal agents in this world. We all have the opportuntiy to practice law: sometimes that's done by standing with Indigenous Peoples and working with them in direct ways,  but also it means in some instances providing resources to help Indigenous Peoples as they're raising their voice. And so, providing resources is actually a practice of law. It's a custom that can be used to put us in relationship with one another."

— John Borrows, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law, University of Victoria

"One of the upsides of these fights is that they have created the wonderful opportunity to bring an awful lot of good people together. And as we move forward into our history, our coalitions our alliances are becoming a lot more broad based, and collectively we are taking ownership of the fact that this is our home. And our home is worth defending."

— Saul Brown, Heiltsuk Reconciliation Negotiator