First Peoples Festival | January

FREE EVENT

January 14 – 17, 2027

Celebrate year four of this exceptional community event in Estes Park. What began as a Native Art Market and ticketed dinner has grown into an inspiring weekend featuring a Competition Powwow, First Peoples Film Festival, First Peoples Fashion Show, musical guests, and so much more. Start the year with us.

Join us for a memorable weekend of culture, artistry, music, and community — honoring, celebrating, and connecting.

2027 INFORMATION COMING SOON

All vendors at the First Peoples Festival come exclusively from Federally Recognized Tribes, ensuring an authentic and meaningful celebration of living Indigenous culture. Since the festival began, we’ve welcomed artists and makers from over 30 tribal affiliations across several states, even as far as Alaska. Each booth offers an opportunity to see generations of tradition, creativity, and story carried forward through art and craftsmanship. When you shop with us, you support sovereign Nations, honor enduring heritage, and take home something created with purpose and history.

The marketplace is special, genuine, and truly one of a kind.

Submit Vendor Application Click Here

2027 Event Schedule

SCHEDULES WILL BE POSTED IN NOVEMBER

Cultural Performances, Powwow, Film Festival, Fashion Show, Music, Art Market

Nico Strange Owl presenting
Hoop dancer at the 2025 First Peoples Festival VIP Dinner
Flute player at the 2025 Estes Park First Peoples Festival VIP Dinner
Black on Black Native Pottery
Bear claw and Elk Ivory necklace
Large Turquoise Bracelent
Royston Turquoise & Silver Earrings
Native American Melon Bowl
Quilled Moccasins
Thunderbird Bolo
Sean Sherman at the Dinner
Quillwork Earrings
Pictorial Zuni Polychrome Bowl featuring elk, dragonfly and roadrunners.
Pueblo Pottery with a terra cotta and black design
Indigenous Jewelry, Silver and Turquoise
Kachina Belt Buckle with Black obsidian background with a kachina in the center made from turquoise, coral and other precious stones.

First Peoples Festival Consultant

Nico Strange Owl is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and has worked with Indigenous art and artists over the past forty years. She is the current owner of Eagle Plume’s, a historic trading post at the base of Long’s Peak near Allenspark, Colorado. She has also worked as a bead worker, an appraiser, and a consultant in Native art, collaborating with museums and operating galleries, and has been in the art business all her life. She is also the descendant of Sand Creek Massacre survivors and is truly at home in Colorado. We are deeply honored to have her as our consultant since 2023.

Committees & Committee Members

Information about our committees and committee members will be posted soon. Please check back for updates.

“The First Peoples Festival is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and sharing the diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary voices of Indigenous peoples. Through vibrant programming in art, music, fashion, film, food, and storytelling, the festival uplifts Indigenous creators, fosters meaningful connections to ancestral lands, and invites all communities to engage in respectful dialogue, learning, and cultural exchange. Our mission is to honor the enduring presence and contributions of First Peoples while creating a space for education, empowerment, community, and celebration.” –First Peoples Festival Committee

First Peoples Fashion Show

“Our mission is to empower Indigenous artisans through high fashion. As an all-Indigenous collective of artists and storytellers, we bring together creators from across the continent to build communities through cultural collaboration. We are committed to Indigenous representation and redefining luxury with a powerful, authentic voice”. –First Peoples Fashion Show Board

We are excited to introduce you to Otakwan, the Indigenous producer of the upcoming, privately funded, First Peoples Fashion Show.

Otakwan is a grounded and powerful Métisse woman, carrying the legacy of the Métis Nation (Otipemisiwak), Saskatchewan, wherever she goes. Her fashion journey, once a far-off dream for a girl from a small Northern village, has blossomed into a powerful purpose. As a co-producer, runway director, and model, Otakwan amplifies Indigenous voices, boosts representation, and highlights the strength and beauty of diversity. She’s passionate about nurturing an environment where creativity flourishes responsibly, balancing innovation with profound respect for heritage and human connection. Her mission is clear: to help steer an industry that continues to inspire, provoke thought, and ultimately, celebrate the endlessly rich tapestry of human experience through the art of style. Otakwan has been in numerous high-level productions from coast to coast and is a regular at prominent fashion weeks internationally. She is also featured in several European museum galleries representing her people, including being 1 of 40 chosen for the Shane Balkowitsch Northern Plains Native Americans Vol 2: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective book.