Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day Loud and Proud with PRONK!
The BIPOC-led arts, music and activism-centered festival will kick off at 10 a.m. on October 9 at Dexter Park.
PRONK! Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration 2023. Photo by @allam.mella
The justice-centered arts, music and activism festival known as PRONK! — a.k.a. Providence HONK! — is back with its annual Indigenous People’s Day Celebration on Monday, October 9. The loud-and-proud festivities kick off at Dexter Park with a yoga session with the Haus of Glitter at 10 a.m., followed by a celebration of Indigenous music, activism and heritage from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to performances by the unmatched Eastern Medicine Singers and the New Orleans-based Young Fellaz Brass Band during the opening ceremony, PRONK! will be unveiling its first-ever royal court, including the 2023 Queen ( for those curious, they’ve already teased her identity with a watermelon emoji on Instagram). Additional appearances and performances will include April Brown and Sussy Santana, Shaena Soares and K. Funmilayo Aileru, Bella Noka, Rhythm in Rhapsody, the Black Out Drum Squad, the Detroit Party Marching Band and more.
If you’re looking to continue the celebrations that night, the PRONK! Classique after party will take place at Revival Brewing from 5 p.m. till late night, and feature acts like the Providence Drum Troupe, Saint Nichet, Conical Cacophany and an open jam with the Extraordinary Rendition Band. Special gusts Sidy Maiga and the Bridge Where We Meet will close out the night’s festivities.
Blackout Drum Squad processing through the streets at PRONK! 2019. Photo by Efrel Solares / Courtesy of PRONK!
All fun aside, it’s worth acknowledging 2022 saw a progressive change for the annual festival. While PRONK! had been working towards solidifying their mission as an ‘activist festival’ for the past decade by rallying behind causes like the community safety Act and PSU’s Student Bill of Rights, supporting organizations like DARE ad PrYSM, and bringing community attention to decolonization, its committee recognized that the organization was originally founded by white people, often featured white bands, and had largely attracted white crowds. And so, the festival took — and continues to take — steps to center Black, Indigenous and People of Color. For one, the committee is now 100% led by BIPOC organizers (with white committee members shifting to supporting roles). Additionally, a majority of the committee’s funds have been used to hire BIPOC artists, musicians, organizations, caterers and so on, while most events have been moved from the east side of Providence to historically BIPOC neighborhoods. PRONK! has also expanded its musical identity beyond just brass band music to also include genres that are culturally relevant to youth and Providence communities.
Shey Rivera performing a scene about Caribbean Indigeneity for the Haus of Glitter’s Historic Intervention at the former home of Esek Hopkins, commander of the slavery ship “Sally,” during the 2021 PRONK! season. Photo courtesy of PRONK!
For more information about PRONK! and the festival, visit their website here. If you can’t make the celebration, you can also support PRONK!’s efforts by purchasing their Next Gen T-Shirt. All proceeds help provide free music lessons to the next generation of PRONK! artists.
