Move over, Columbus: How to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2024 in Pa.
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native American cultures at these events, festivals, and museums throughout Pennsylvania.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not (yet) a recognized holiday in the state of Pennsylvania, but you can still celebrate this important day to honor the legacies of Indigenous peoples and their continued impact in the commonwealth and around the world. We’ve put together a list of events and museums where you can observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day and learn about the first folks who lived in what is now Pennsylvania.
1. Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly – Philadelphia
This annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration takes place once again at Shackamaxon (Penn Treaty) Park on the banks of the Delaware River. On Monday, October 14, Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly will take over the park with live performances, art and artists, great food, educational talks, and more family-friendly activities so that Philadelphians can celebrate the history, present, and future of indigenous peoples of the region, including the Lenape (Delaware) who originally called the area home.
2. Indigenous Peoples Weekend at The Museum of the American Revolution – Philadelphia
Each year, Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution celebrates Indigenous Peoples Weekend. Between October 12 and October 14, the museum will host events on Native American culture and indigenous peoples’ roles in the American Revolution. Importantly, the weekend centers contributions by Native Americans, including traditional dance performances from the Delaware Tribe of Indians and talks by Native living history interpreters. You can also explore an exhibition on the Oneida Nation and the lead-up and consequences of the tribe’s support of the American Revolution and view a documentary on the subject, “The People of the Standing Stone.”
3. The Museum of Indian Culture – Allentown
The Lehigh Valley’s Museum of Indian Culture is focused on sharing the history and culture of Northeastern Woodlands tribes, particularly the Lenape (Delaware), who are indigenous to the area around southeastern Pennsylvania. The museum also often hosts rotating exhibits dedicated to other Native cultures. While much of the museum is dedicated to centuries past, you’ll also learn about contemporary Lenape and other Native Americans. And while this Allentown gem doesn’t have a specific event planned for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, you can visit the weekend before the holiday and even join a guided tour of the collections.
4. Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration at Bartram’s Garden – Philadelphia
In partnership with Ollin Yolitzli Calmecac, a group dedicated to preserving the history and culture of indigenous peoples (and particularly the Mexicayotl culture that began in Mexico before European contact), Bartram’s Garden in southwest Philly will host an Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration on October 13. The family-friendly event will feature traditional dancing, live music, vendors, educational talks, and more!
5. The Chester County American Indian Cultural Festival – Honey Brook
On October 19 and 20, Chester County hosts its own American Indian Cultural Festival. The powwow will take place at the Romano 4-H Center and feature dancing, food, kids’ activities, drumming by Gray Cloud Singers and Itchy Dog Singers, arts and craft vendors, Native American history displays, and more. Though the festival is the weekend after Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it’s an opportunity to continue celebrating Native culture beyond just one day.
6. School’s Out: Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Scott Arboretum – Swarthmore
The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College is hosting an Indigenous Peoples’ Day event geared for kids under 12 and their families. Many kids won’t be in school on this day after all! Participants will learn about native plants that indigenous cultures grow and also make crafts using natural materials. The drop-in event will take place in the arboretum’s Cherry Border.
7. Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village – Avella
Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, operated by Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center and located just an hour from the city, will educate you on the history of humanity itself by way of some of the earliest Native Americans and how they lived. A national historic landmark, the Meadowcroft Rockshelter is an archaeological site that may be as many as 19,000 years old and the oldest human settlement in North America. Plus, the museum’s historic village area includes a recreation of a 1500s-era village of the Native Americans known only as the Monongahela Culture, as the tribe’s own name was never recorded.
8. Homelands: Native Nations of Allegheny at the Fort Pitt Museum – Pittsburgh
October 2024 marks the first year that Pittsburgh officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day. To celebrate in the city, you may want to spend time at the Fort Pitt Museum to learn more about the Native peoples who lived in the Pittsburgh area hundreds of years ago. The museum’s exhibit “Homelands: Native Nations of Allegheny” explores the Native peoples living along the Allegheny River around the time of Pittsburgh’s founding — how they lived, their relationships with European settlers, and how colonization affected their lives. The exhibit includes historical artifacts on loan from tribal nations as well as contemporary Native art, allowing visitors to learn about Native history as well as how tribes like the Seneca are currently preserving their culture.
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