Yukon Riverside Arts Festival

Every Summer, the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) invites artists and collectives to partake in the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival (YRAF), a weekend of interdisciplinary arts where community members and visitors can interact with and explore the creative work presented by local and regional artists across a wide range of mediums.

The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival takes place at Riverside Park and at many venues and historical sites throughout Dawson City. For more than two decades, the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival has established itself as one of the anchor events of Yukon summer and has helped transform Dawson City into a cultural hub of the North. YRAF showcases local and regional artists, artisans and performers in Dawson City, Yukon, offering activities and programming such as:

• Scheduled performances and exhibits at various locations
• Installations and interactive projects throughout Dawson
• Hands-on artist demonstration tents
• An artist market, were you can purchase handcrafted goods and art by local artisans
• A kids tent with art-related activities for youth
• All-ages live music stage
• The gallery hop, a self-directed art crawl evening to kick off the Festival

Want to find out more about the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival? Check out our online archive!

Stay tuned for updates about the next Yukon Riverside Arts Festival!

I am an artist, how can I participate?

Every spring we open submissions for local and regional* artists at any stage of their practice to apply. Projects of various scopes and disciplines are welcome, as well as performances, workshop proposals and partnered events. Proposals will be evaluated on merit, feasibility, budget and other relevant criteria, and those selected will be compensated fairly according to industry standards.
Sign up to our newsletter and stay tuned for the announcement of the next YRAF intake dates!

*Artists outside of the Yukon are welcome to apply, but please note that we are not able to cover travel costs or lodging, and priority may be given to those artists who are already in the territory.

How can I support the Festival?

SPONSOR
YRAF is coordinated and presented by a non-profit organization, and funded mostly by government and community grants. As such, we are always seeking sponsors and partners to help us bring a bigger and better offer to our community. The impact that cash sponsorships have on our festival is considerable, as it allows us to include and provide income to a wider selection of artists, and to offer diverse programming free of charge to the public.
Click here to learn about our sponsorship opportunities.

VOLUNTEER
There are many volunteering opportunities at YRAF but also at the various exciting and fun KIAC events and festivals throughout the year. The many perks of volunteering for KIAC include free admission to amazing shows and performances, discounts on bar/concession, merchandise, memberships and more!
Click here to learn about our volunteer opportunities.

PARTNER
If you are part of an arts and culture adjacent organization or institution that would like to partner with us, please let us know! We are always looking to opportunities for collaboration and mutually beneficial exchanges.
This may look like offering a workshop, hosting events, providing a venue or co-creating programming, among other ideas.
Share your ideas here!

MERCHANDISE
Wear your heart and our art on your sleeve. Check out our merch!

For any inquiries, please contact us here or 867-993-5005.

YRAF is a team effort!
Big thanks to staff, artists, sponsors and the Dawson City community!

KIAC respectfully acknowledges that we live, teach and learn on the traditional and contemporary territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in.

In 2019, as a part of a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in initiative to rename local buildings, the Elder’s Council honoured the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture building with a new name, Dënäkär Zho, meaning “mixed colours house” in Hän. With the understanding that the renaming of the building, and the associated ceremony, is just one step in the path of truth and reconciliation, we hope this symbolic act will help inspire further discussions, collaborations, and actions.

The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival is proudly presented by the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture.