August 15 – 16, 2025
Queenston Heights Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Song to the Waters
Song to the Waters:
A Global Indigenous Call to Protect Sacred Waters
August 15 – 16, 2025 | Queenston Heights Park
Niagara Parks and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, in collaboration with Michele-Elise Burnett and Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators, proudly present Song to the Waters. A week-long immersive celebration of Indigenous music, culture, and ancestral knowledge. Featuring artists and Elders from Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand), this powerful experience honours water as life and calls us to reflect on our shared responsibility to protect it.
Blending traditional songs, orchestration, and striking visual installations, Song to the Waters is a moving sensory journey rooted in Indigenous worldviews and water stewardship. Join us in listening to the land, the ancestors, and the voices that connect us all.
Event Highlights
Friday, August 15
6pm – 7pm Kids’ Illustration Art Workshop
7:30pm – Song to the Waters Performance
Saturday, August 16
1:30pm – 2:30pm Māori Song & Cultural Workshop
4pm – 5pm Katajjaq Inuit Throat Singing & Culture Workshop
6pm – 7pm Kids’ Illustration Art Workshop
7:30pm – Song to the Waters Performance
Song to the Waters Performance
Date: Friday, August 15 & Saturday, August 16, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Niagara Parks’ Landscape of Nations Bandshell, Queenston Heights Park
Admission: Free Admission | All Ages Welcome
Details: Bring your own picnic blanket or lawn chair.
Featured Artists & Voices Include:
- Bunna Lawrie – Mirning Whale Songman & Elder (Australia)
- WHAIA Sonic Weaver – Māori vocalist and water protector (Aotearoa)
- Lydia Etok & Nina Segalowitz – Inuit throat singers (Nunavik / Northwest Territories)
- Strong Water Singers – Award-winning local Indigenous women’s hand-drumming group (Niagara)
- Elder Jackie Labonte – Knowledge Keeper and community leader (Mohawk)
Festival Cultural Activities
- Niagara-on-the-Lake Tiny Museum – https://www.notlmuseum.ca/learn
- Indigenous food and retail vendors
- Tours of the Landscape of Nations memorial, by Friends of Fort George
- Kids Art Workshops under the Picnic Pavilions:
- Create your own Bookmark station, using a working printing press provided by the Mackenzie Printery
- Create your own Illuminated Wearable Art station with the Australian team, inspired by the animal and plant life in this area. Bring your illuminated creation to the evening performance of Song to the Waters and play with light alongside the performers!
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