Vancouver Indigenous-led skateboard festival a massive hit for pros, fans, supporters – Global News
November 13, 2023
Thousands of people gathered Saturday and Sunday at the PNE Forum for an Indigenous-led skateboarding festival.
The 7 Gen Skate Festival, featured pro and amateur contests with more than $20,000 in prize money up for grabs. It also had a marketplace, skate demos and clinics, Indigenous ceremonies, culture sharing, and a concert.
It has a focus on creating an “all-inclusive” skateboarding event that welcomes everyone, and is committed to the representation of Indigenous peoples as spiritual and territorial hosts.
Brenda Knights, the Indigenous capacity builder for 7 Gen and a member of Kwantlen First Nation, has been involved in the festival since the beginning.
One of the goals of the festival is to fill the void that was left by the Slam City Jam left behind after it ceased operating years ago in Vancouver. The last Slam City Jam in Vancouver was in 2005.
“My fiancé was often with his friends, reminiscing and talking about the old Slam City Jam and how disappointed they were that it left Vancouver,” she said. “And I had planned different events with the Township of Langley before and so I said, ‘Well, let’s let’s just do it.’”
Read More: https://globalnews.ca/news/10087834/vancouver-indigenous-led-skateboard-festival/
