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The Nutrien Children’s Festival of Saskatchewan opened its gates Thursday morning at Kinsmen Park in Saskatoon.
The annual event, which runs until Sunday, features interactive performances and activities for children ages two to 12. Last year, the festival drew more than 11,000 participants.
Darcie Young, general manager of the festival, said the weekend will be filled with artistic and educational content, and themes of friendship.
(Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
“It’s a celebration of the children of Saskatchewan; it’s four days of fun. (Children) come down and learn collectively and independently. They get exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking. They take in artistic content from all around the world,” she said.
One important part of the festival is recognizing Indigenous culture, Young explained. The festival will feature a hoop-dancing performance from Terrance Littletent and storytelling from Indigenous elders in the traditional teepees set up on the festival grounds.
“We’re hosting a festival that’s on land that should be acknowledged,” Young explained, adding that main venue signage can be read in Michif, Cree and Dene, along with English and French.
“I think it’s very important that we take some steps towards our commitment to reconciliation, and it’s very important to have Indigenous communities on their land,” Young added.
The festival features plenty of animals as well. This year there are miniature ponies, alpacas and rabbits on site, as well as a fossil-finding activity where children can dig for shark teeth.
The Children’s Festival includes a sensory tent for neurodivergent children, which provides toys to keep children occupied but not overly stimulated, according to the festival’s website.
Saskatchewan Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services has a tent where kids can learn some sign language, Young added.
The festival will also feature a “Rainbow Tent” with representation from the LGBTQ community, which was making headlines before the festival began.
“It’s an inclusive venue that people are welcome to take part in if they choose to, just to show support to the community and say, ‘You know what? You are important. You deserve to be loved and heard,'” she said.
The tent sparked controversy after an email surfaced on social media that was sent to Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools principals, asking staff who take students to the festival to avoid the tent.
The school division has since released a statement in which its director of education, François Rivard, said the letter was not meant to be one of judgment, hate and exclusion, but recognized that it could have been taken in that way.
Young said she didn’t change a single thing about the tent in light of the controversy.
“Just for comparison we have Peter Pan and the Three Musketeers – some men wearing tights – and there’s no controversy over that,” she said.
Activities in the tent include bingo, and stories read by drag queens.
“That’s just another expression of creativity and bringing to life to the story that they are sharing with the children,” Young said.
