A celebration of art, music and summer in Dawson City, Yukon!
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, Yukon. 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:
- Performances and exhibits at various locations
- Public art installations and interactive projects throughout Dawson City
- Hands-on artist demonstrations
- An artist market, were you can purchase crafts and art by local artisans
- A kids tent with art-related activities for youth
- All-ages live music stage
- Artist-led workshops and lectures
- Special events
- The gallery hop, a self-directed art crawl evening to kick off the Festival
Want to see more of YRAF?
The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival is proudly presented by the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture.
The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) is a community-based arts center offering a rotating schedule of workshops, screenings, festivals, exhibitions, and creative courses. Come and explore our broad range of programming and experience the artistic side of Dawson.
KIAC is also responsible for organizing signature events, such as Dawson City’s International Short Film Festival, the Print and Publishing Festival, and the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival. As well, we help to facilitate our seasonal Arts Market, which occurs weekly at Waterfront Park from June until August.
Please visit our ODD Gallery listing for more art!
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.
KIAC respectfully acknowledges that we live, teach and learn on the traditional and contemporary territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in.
