Fireweed Festival will finally return to Fort Smith from Aug. 23-25. 

The event debuted in the community of just over 2,500 people in 2022, but its 2023 follow-up was cancelled when residents were evacuated due to wildfires burning across the territory. 

Organizers are optimistic the 2024 festival will go off without a hitch. 

"Last year we were ready to go and it was going be a great festival, but we all got evacuated and it had to be cancelled," said Jolene Bourque, one of the coordinators of the event. "It was [disappointing]. We put so much work into it.

"We're very excited for this year. We're working on the final touches right now, but we are amping up for a great, great, great event."

Planning for Fireweed Festival's long-awaited comeback has been underway for some time. As of late June, Bourque and her team were working on finalizing the lineup of musicians for the event.

They have received applications from performers as far away as Tuktoyaktuk, she said, and they are expecting about 20 acts by the time the lineup is complete.

Musicians will play at several venues around town, but "the big day will be at Queen Elizabeth Territorial Park on Saturday."

"We have a bunch of bands and solo acts registered already," Bourque said. "We want more people to get involved because then we can have a larger festival."

There will also be a substantial art component to the festival.

Organizers have partnered with NWT Arts, a branch of the GNWT that promotes the territory's artists and craftspeople, to bring vendors to the community. 

"We collaborated with them because there's such a vast range of talent in the North," Bourque said. "This way, we can be hands-on with all the musicians, and they can be hands-on with all the artists. It just made sense for us to work together and put all our resources in the same place.

"We're going to have vendors here at the park on Saturday, where there's going to be workshops throughout the week beforehand, and then there will be an art crawl on Saturday as well, and we are hoping to have a couple surprises throughout the weekend as well."

After all of the stress of last summer, Bourque sees events like Fireweed Festival as crucial for Fort Smith, and is excited for residents to gather and enjoy themselves over the course of the weekend.

"I think it's really great that people come together and showcase our talents together," she said. "There's a lot of hidden talent in the North, and if we can give a stage for people to play on and share that with us, and get together, and create new friendships and new bands, we're all about it."

While planning for the 2025 festival will not begin for some time, Bourque is adamant that the event will become a staple on the Fort Smith calendar. She is spreading the word that it will be held annually in late August, so that residents can keep their schedules clear, and visitors can plan their trips to the community accordingly.

"We're hoping to keep the fourth weekend in August going for Fireweed," she said. "Whatever date that lands on throughout the years, we'll be here."