Inuvik Sunrise Festival set to go, with a few adjustments

After 30 days of darkness, Inuvik is close to seeing the sun rise once again and it will celebrate the occasion as it usually does, albeit with a little differently this year.

The Inuvik Sunrise Festival will start Jan. 7, the day the sun will rise after a long hiatus, and run for four days.

"It is a time to come back together after being separated," said Jackie Challis, the executive director of tourism and economic development with the town of Inuvik.

"But I think this year, like many other years, it's just as important to celebrate the light."

Although many communities won't be able to gather and hold drum dances or feasts, Challis said the town of Inuvik is working hard to ensure that people can still celebrate the light and the new year.

The town will be broadcasting events live on Facebook. It will be holding a contest and encouraging people to send videos or pictures of them jigging, dancing, or their own form of celebration.

The town has also introduced a new activity to support the Light Community Art Mosaic Project. On Friday, it is going to distribute small canvases and tiles and encourage people to paint something sunrise related. Later that weekend, the town will be collecting tiles to create a digital composition of what the town has submitted.

On June 21, the summer solstice, Inuvik will be organizing an outdoor display to showcase the artwork created by the community.

On Saturday, there will be an Arctic market in the midnight sun complex from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There is also a workshop that will be happening over the weekend, where a number of local artists will teach how to make your own cover. Although the event is sold out, you can put your name on the wait list.

To conclude the festival, there will be fireworks in the Twin Lakes area. Usually, the fireworks are paired with a bonfire, however, due to the health measures, there will not be a bonfire. People will have to stay in vehicles to watch.

Challis said "we definitely encourage those that don't have a vehicle to go with their immediate family, to bundle up and try and walk to a location that is away from anybody else to watch the fireworks."

Here is the full schedule of events this year.