Introducing: PDX N8V FST

How do we build an audience for Indigenous Performance? 

Pamyua; credit courtesy of the artist

This is the focus of PDX N8V FST, a new festival of Native performing arts and a project of WAA’s Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) initiative. The excitement begins July 31 with a free concert by Alaska’s Inuit-Soul group, Pamyua, at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, curated by presenting partner Clark College Foundation. All are invited to attend.  

Portland, Oregon is famous for its food and artsy vibe, but it also has the distinction of being home to one of the largest Native populations in the country. Portland ranks 9th for cities with the largest percentage of residents who identify as Native or Indigenous. This makes the Rose City the perfect lab to see what it takes to foster mainstream fans for work by Native performing artists.

“Collaboration is at the heart of this work,” according to Program Manager Ed Bourgeois, who is leading the PDX N8V FST initiative. “Between partners and their audiences, between the region’s Native and non-Native communities, and the music and arts organizations working together to serve America’s coolest, festival-loving city. We’re kicking out a heartbeat that can be a whole new tradition for Portland.”

WAA is working with four of its members in the Portland-area who are presenting Indigenous artists in the 2025-2026 season. Under the banner of PDX N8V FST, our partners will benefit from coordinated marketing and media campaigns to increase awareness of the rich offerings throughout the year. Each of our partners will also host community engagement events designed to welcome Portland Native residents to their venues and build community. The PDX N8V FST lineup includes: 

July 31: Pamyua at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, curated by presenting partner Clark College Foundation. 

September 7: The Untitled Native Project — Live at PICA at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). 

October 24-25: York the Explorer at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton. 

December 5: Kalani Pe’a: Hawaiian Christmas at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton. 

February 13-15, 2026: Wayqeycuna at Boom Arts.

Support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, a Portland-area funder, provides startup funds to kick off the inaugural 2025 Series. The vision for the project foresees a multi-day, outdoor, summer festival on the Portland waterfront – with multiple stages, Native food vendors, arts market and community events – but the 2025 Series starts out small. During the course of the 2025 Series, the Festival will focus on marketing partner events and growing the audience needed to support a concentrated, comprehensive festival in downtown Portland. 

You can learn more about PDX N8V FST and follow updates on the new website. Help us build support by following on Facebook and Instagram. When you come to Portland, check out the Native programming at our partner’s venues, and think about planning a summer getaway to support the artists you know and love at a future PDX N8V FST!