July 1st of each year
Canada Day Festivities (in all Nunavik communities)
July to August 2013
Eastern Arctic Summer Games (Kangiqsujuaq)
Every two years, athletes from all around Nunavik gather in one of the region’s communities to test their skills at traditional Inuit games and other sports.
August 13-16, 2013
Aqpik Jam Music Festival of Kuujjuaq
This annual gathering named after the cloudberry (aqpik in Inuktitut), which is plentiful in this part of Nunavik at that time of year, together with berry-picking contests and other outdoor activities and games, brings together musicians and performers from all around the circumpolar world (Nunavik, Nunavut, Alaska and Greenland), as well as from Southern Canada, to entertain Kuujjuaq residents and visitors alike with astonishing performances, from throat-singing and drum dancing to country, rock and even hip-hop.
For more information, contact Sarah Berthe at missberthe@hotmail.com or check out www.nvkuujjuaq.ca or the event's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aqpikjam
August 19-24, 2013
Blueberry Festival of Umiujaq
Held every two years, this festival welcomes music performers from all around Nunavik, which, together with berry-picking contests and other outdoor activities during the day, make for a fun time.
For more information, contact Markossie Tookalook at 819-331-7346
August 30 - September 2, 2013
Wild Berry Festival of Kuujjuaraapik
Held for the first time this year, this new festival is a celebration of the berry picking season, with all kinds of berry picking contests and other games held during the day, topped off by Nunavimmiut music performances in the evening.
For more information, contact the Kuujjuaraapik Radio Committee at 819-929-3321
Fall 2013
Taivititut Gospel Music Festival of Salluit
Every year, gospel performers from all over the North gather in Salluit to celebrate their faith with wonderful music and songs.
For more information, contact Ittuvik Saviadjuk at the Northern Village of Salluit at 819-255-8953.
Christmas Candy Drop of Kuujjuaq
A tradition initiated in 1965 by Johnny May, a well known local pilot, the Candy Drop is something that the residents of Kuujjuaq look forward to each year during the Holidays. On Christmas day, around noon, Johnny May’s small plane flies over a field where everybody is gathered to try and catch the candies and various gifts dropped by Kuujjuaq’s very own Santa.
For more information, contact Johnny May at 819-964-2815 or check out www.nvkuujjuaq.ca
March 2014
Cain’s Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race
Covering more than 2500 km from Labrador City and back, and now passing through Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, this race is the longest of its kind in Canada and a true northern adventure in which the teams of 2 racers push body and machine to the limits, day and night, in deep snow, thick wooded areas and wide open frozen lakes, keeping race fans on the edge of their seat.
For more information, call 709-944-5011or check out www.cainsquest.com
