Inclusivity and celebrating Indigenous culture top priority for the Wake the Giant Music Festival
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — The 2022 Wake the Giant Music Festival will feature a range of performers including Our Lady Peace, DJ Steve Aoki, Aqua, Digging Roots, Neon Dreams, Crown Lands, Aysanabee and Grammy-nominated drum group Young Spirit Singers. The Wake the Giant Music Festival, which began in 2019 with the goals of creating a more inclusive city and welcoming Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School (DFC) students from remote First Nations, will be held on Sept. 17 at the Thunder Bay Waterfront.
“We’re really excited about having the Young Spirit Singers drum group and we’ve kind of got a nostalgic vibe with our headliners with Our Lady Peace and Aqua,” says Greg Chomut, an organizer of the Wake the Giant Music Festival. “The DJ that our students are most excited about is Steve Aoki.”
Chomut says he remembers the last time when Our Lady Peace performed in Thunder Bay.
“It was a big event for the city,” Chomut says. “Everybody seemed to be talking about it so hopefully they draw the same excitement this time around.”
Sean Spenrath, another organizer of the Wake the Giant Music Festival, says they are “stoked” about the lineup of performers.
“This will be a day to remember,” Spenrath says. “This year festival goers can expect acts from a diverse list of genres that will have them screaming lyrics to some of their favourite throwback tunes, a ton of Canadian content, and emerging Indigenous artists that are sure to be crowd-pleasers.”
Chomut says this year’s lineup features the most Indigenous performers to date on stage at the Wake the Giant Music Festival, including Aysanabee, an Oji-Cree singer songwriter and Sandy Lake citizen in Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and the Young Spirit Singers, from northern Alberta.
“Building inclusivity and celebrating Indigenous culture always remains a top priority for the Wake the Giant Music Festival,” Chomut says. “This year’s lineup is very reflective of our goals and brings several Indigenous artists to the Wake the Giant stage — the most ever to date.”
The Wake the Giant Music Festival will also feature DFC student and pianist Malachi Beardy, who will perform just before the final act of the night, and Jingle Dress dancers from DFC.
“Wake the Giant continues to help make our students and their communities feel more welcome and more connected to the City of Thunder Bay through the movement and more specifically, through this incredible event,” says AJ Happa, another organizer of the Wake the Giant Music Festival. “Each year, the Wake the Giant Music Festival creates an atmosphere that helps build stronger bonds in our community by providing an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.”
Chomut says the Wake the Giant Music Festival is just part of a year-round initiative that includes the Wake the Giant decal program for businesses and organizations to post Wake the Giant decals on their doors and windows to indicate a safe space for Indigenous youth.
“There is a lot going on all year round for Wake the Giant with the sticker campaign and creating a more welcoming environment for our students when they come here for school,” Chomut says. “It all culminates with the festival, and having as many people from the region, First Nation and non-Indigenous, coming together and enjoying the music and celebration as one is what we really want that day to be all about. So we really hope a lot of the First Nations from this area come out and join us and become part of the whole event.”
Tickets are now available for sale at: wakethegiant.ca. Tier 1 tickets are $120 and limited VIP tickets are $150. Children 11-years-old and under are free but need a ticket to attend.