Western Arctic Festivals

Don’t miss the Great Northern Arts Festival in July, a week-long event featuring sculptors, painters and arts and crafts people from across the North. An Inuvik institution, the GNAF presents workshops for artists in many fields and offers a unique opportunity to meet face to face with up and coming northern artists as well as recognized masters. Later in the summer, music festivals take over. There's the Midway Lake Music festival near Fort McPherson and the End of the Road Music Festival in Inuvik.

Community festivals are also popular in the Western Arctic. These are occasions for everyone to get out on the snow-covered land in the spring sun and participate in traditional and modern games. There's the unique Sunrise Festival in Inuvik in January, celebrating the return of the sun after a month-long absence. Later in the year, spring is celebrated in March and April in Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, and in June, at Ulukhaktok.