Hoobiyee 2026 will take place on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at Vancouver’s PNE Forum.
It was uncertain if the two-day celebration of Indigenous dance and culture would be a go this year, but the show will go on, according to Vancouver-based Ts’amiks Nisga’a Cultural Dancers.
“Things are in motion. It is happening,” said Jade Doolan, an executive member of the Ts’amiks Nisga’a Cultural Dancers.
The story of Hoobiyee (pronounced HOO-bee-yay) all starts back in the homeland of the Nisga’a people along the Nass River valley in northwest B.C. The annual Nisga’a new year celebration is rooted to the harvest of oolichan or ‘candlefish’, a small silver fish that would return to the coastal rivers after winter, and is guided by the emergence of the first crescent moon in late winter.
This year, Hoobiyee is being organized by the community.
“We the community are pooling together. We are calling it Git-Ts’amiks,” said Doolan, adding that the word ‘Git’ means community.
“We’re just trying to keep everything peaceful, loving and caring. This event is bigger than Hoobiyee. It’s not just for the Nisga’a people anymore it’s for all B.C. communities to come together to share their culture with the world,” said Doolan.
“Hoobiyee is a community event. It’s for the community. That’s why we wanted to make sure it definitely happened,” they said.
Any dance groups that would like to participate can call Doolan at 604-376-9892 or email vnisgaadancers@gmail.com. The community is also actively looking for sponsors, donations and volunteers.
