Bannock to beads, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl: Come Toward the Fire features a range of vendors, September 14
Also appearing at the Indigenous-led festival are makers of everything from clothing to cookies

Sweetgrass Soap.

Up the River Baking.
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Musqueam present ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl: Come Toward the Fire on September 14 from 12 pm to 7 pm
CELEIGH CARDINAL, DIGAWOLF, and Hayley Wallis are just some of the artists performing at ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl: Come Toward the Fire, a free, family-friendly Indigenous-led festival taking place on September 14 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) territory. There’s also a long list of vendors who will be on-site with everything from bannock to beads.
Consider Up the River Baking, an Indigenous woman-owned business of self-taught cookie artists. They make sugar cookies in all kinds of shapes and styles, each one decorated in detail. Among the varieties that will be available at ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl: Come Toward the Fire are those with orange icing and the phrase “Every child matters”. Proceeds will be going to the All Nations Outreach Society, a nonprofit group that provides support to people living in the Downtown Eastside through a weekly lunch program.
Then there’s Golden Bannock, which makes the famous fry bread and serves burgers and Indian tacos atop thick slices of it.
Other food vendors include Mahshiko, which serves up healthy Korean food; Juicy Green Express Inc., which carries drinks like lemonade and bubble tea; and Shameless Buns, which specializes in Filipino cuisine.

Amanda Ruth Beads.
Then there are vendors selling other, nonedible goods, such as Native by Nature, a clothing brand that fuses urban hip-hop style and Indigenous heritage; Sweetgrass Soap, a skin-care line that includes body butter and sugar scrubs; and Amanda Ruth Beads, a collection of beaded earrings and other jewellery. Beadwork is also the basis of little Métis things, which sells earrings, medallions, and lanyards.
Ryan Hughes is the Snuneymuxw First Nation artist behind Ryan Salish Art; look for so many carvings on materials like yellow- and red-cedar discs. Love the Land Apparel is a sister company of Talaysay Tours; owned by Candace Campo, it features hoodies, shirts, sweatpants, hats, tuques, and more.
Two Indigenous-owned booksellers will be at the festival: Iron Dog Books and Massy Books.
Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
The fest features multiple events for all ages celebrating the city’s blooms
Local arts and culture organizations say “the clock is ticking” as they await answers from Premier David Eby and Spencer Chandra Herbert
Second-annual event opens with Mahesh Pailoor’s Paper Flowers and closes with Enrique Vázquez’s Firma Aquí (Sign Here)
The artist got his big break on The Big Sick
The solo for Jeanette Kotowich addresses the choreographer’s mixed Oji-Cree and Mennonite ancestry
Amanda Montell’s rowdy Big Magical Cult Show, Ashley Gavin’s unmatched crowd work, and local standup stars at the Vancouver Art Gallery bistro
The 2025 fest journeys from searing personal memoirs to hilariously neurotic short stories to a cookbook about modern Jewish cuisine
This year’s event features a diverse lineup of artists from Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, and B.C.
Having its world premiere at the fest, the work merges the ancestral knowledge of mau rākau with contemporary dance
Top picks from Napa Sauvignon Blanc to Columbia Valley Merlot, plus advice for hitting an international assortment at this year’s Bard on the Beach fundraiser
Program opens with Charles Aznavour biopic Monsieur Aznavour and closes with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry tribute Saint-Exupéry
Music on Main and the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre bring the Belgian celebration of sound for young audiences to Vancouver
Opening La Tournée Québec Cinéma, nostalgic comedy mixes with church abuse of power in a Montreal neighbourhood
Performances spanning music, theatre, comedy, dance, and family entertainment take place from March 19 to 23
Clarke will replace Keltie Forsyth after this year’s fest comes to a close
The show by rice & beans theatre presented by PuSh Festival and Boca del Lupo moves swiftly with sharp satire
Multilayered work by Andrea Peña & Artists is full of animalistic ritual, raw emotion, and nods to Colombian history
The show by Mammalian Diving Reflex brings together teenagers with local arts stars Hiro Kanagawa, Vanessa Kwan, and Dan Mangan for some frank discussion
From VIFF screenings to live music and Vancouver Art Gallery happenings, there are many ways to celebrate throughout February
Artists on the program include Yves Lambert et le Grand Orchestre, Franco-Ontarian rapper LeFLOFRANCO, and more
Copresented by PuSh Festival and Vancouver Art Gallery, the genre-bending work merges dance, new media, and video with immersive sound resonators