Dancers of Damelahamid, in partnership with the the Anvil Centre and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, present the 18th annual Coastal Dance Festival. The Festival is a celebration of the stories, songs and dances of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast with guest national and international artists. The Festival brings Indigenous artists together to share and support one another in a celebration of lived artistic practices. Guest national and international artists have connected the festival with a global community of Indigenous dance.

The matinee is an all-ages performance intended to foster an environment for youth to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous dance, culture, and stories. Inspiring, educating, and including youth is a core value and practice of the Dancers of Damelahamid. This matinee will feature the festival debut of local theatre artist and powwow dancer Nyla Bedard and the Dancers of Damelahamid will perform their popular masks dances from their production Spirit and Tradition. Artist bios can be found on the festival webpage: https://damelahamid.ca/coastal-dance-festival-2025/