Chief William Fathers Day Traditional Pow Wow

The Chief William Fathers Day Traditional Pow Wow is held annually on Fathers Day Weekend in Williams Lake BC, to honour fathers during the three-day event.


Festival Dates: -
Community: Williams Lake
Region: Interior BC
Province: British Columbia
Festival Type: Arts & Culture Music

The annual Chief William Fathers Day Traditional Pow Wow honours fathers with competitions, dances and pageantry.

Tradition is everything and keeping in step with tradition and the drum, will be the annual Chief William Fathers Day Traditional Pow Wow in Williams Lake, BC.

The event is held annually on Fathers Day Weekend.

Tickets

The entire weekend is free to the public and held at the Chief William Campsite and Arbor, Williams Lake Indian Band.

Event highlights

Details for 2023 have not been released, but check out these images and highlights from previous years to get a sense of the event.

Williams Lake Pow Wow

Friday night

Lehal Tournament. Entry fee is $100 for teams of up to 6 players.

Lehal is an ancient first nation's game which consists of two opposing teams. There are two pairs of "bones", one pair with a stripe and one without. 

The game also uses a set of scoring sticks (usually ten) and in some areas a "kick" or "king" stick—an extra stick won by the team who gets to start the game. The game is usually accompanied by drumming and singing used to boost the morale of the team. 

The side that has the bones sings, while the other tries to guess. The musical accompaniment is also sometimes used to taunt the other team. Players and spectators may place bets on teams, or individual matches within the game between one guess and the other team's bone hiders.

Williams Lake Pow Wow

Saturday 

1pm Grand Entry and Chief William Princess Pageant followed by a traditional feast
7pm Grand Entry

Williams Lake Pow Wow

 

Princess at the Pow Wow

Sunday

1pm Grand Entry followed by the traditional giveaway

If you go

Williams Lake Pow Wow

This event is free to the public. No alcohol or drugs will be permitted.

Are you ready to enjoy the Chief William Fathers Day Traditional Pow Wow? Visit the event page for more info.