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Riverfest
Riverfest
Riverfest
Riverfest has been an annual tradition at Western since 2022, co-created by the Indigenous Student Centre, Indigenous Students’ Association, and Western Sustainability. Riverfest is all about finding ways to enhance community connections with the river. Deshkan Ziibi (Thames River) flows through the heart of campus and connects Western University with the broader London community and neighbouring First Nations.
The river is culturally significant for many Indigenous people, is home to abundant wildlife, and supports wellness with several walking paths right on campus. The annual Riverfest celebration each September provides both in-person and asynchronous opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and community members to learn, enjoy, and honour the river.
Take a walk along the river and listen to Office of Indigenous Initiatives podcast, mbwaach'idiwag, which seeks to bridge long-held divides between Euro-Western and Indigenous communities. In the episode Walking Along the Deshkan Ziibing with Summer Bressette, hosted by Sara Mai Chitty, Summer shares about her perspective on land acknowledgements, relationships to land, Deshkan Ziibing and Indigenous nationhood.