The 2021 Adäka Cultural Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions.

The Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association and Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre announced the decision on July 13.

“We had some amazing Yukon-focused programming, performances, and artists lined up for this year, so this was a very tough decision to have to make for the second year in a row,” said Katie Johnson, Adäka Cultural Festival Producer, in a statement.

“We had hoped to step back into the light together this summer, but keeping our community safe is the priority right now,” she said.

The festival was originally planned for June 25 to June 30 and was postponed, following the outbreak, to August 26 to 29. Due to the ongoing cases, it has been cancelled until next year.

The press release cited recommendations from the chief medical officer’s office in making the decision to cancel the 10th annual festival. The organization thanked the public as well as sponsors, funders, knowledge keepers and artists for their understanding.

The Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association will continue to run workshops in the fall and winter.

(Haley Ritchie)