The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity kicks off its 2026 Summer Arts Festival this week with a series of free Indigenous storytelling events running through early June. The festival brings over 100 free and ticketed events to Banff from May to September, with June’s programming highlighting National Indigenous History Month.
On May 28 at 7 p.m., the Stories and Voices Cabaret brings award-winning actress Tantoo Cardinal and writer January Rogers to CLVB ’33 to host an intimate evening of Indigenous storytelling.
The following week, on June 3 at 5:30 p.m., the Max Bell Auditorium hosts Story Sharing, a panel featuring Duane Mark, Suzan Marie, Anders Hunter, and Deborah Green. The storytellers will share tales tied to the land and Indigenous history of Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, the peak where the Banff Centre sits.
The literary side of the festival continues on June 4 with a Literary Cabaret at CLVB ’33 at 7 p.m. Cultural historian Dr. Cheryl Thompson, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and a former Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, reads alongside writers from the centre’s Literary Journalism residency.
All three events are free and open to the public. The festival runs through September, offering concerts, workshops, art-making sessions, and more.
