The inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day celebration hosted by the City of Santa Ana will take place on Saturday, October 8, 2022, from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Santa Ana Civic Center’s Plaza of the Sun. This free community event celebrates and honors Indigenous peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.
The celebration will include live performances by Tracy Lee Nelson, Pat Vegas with Redbone, PJ Vegas, Maya Jupiter, Blackbird, Jason Cropper, Mantra, and No Euphemism Fashion Show featuring Frosty. The celebration will also include food vendors, resource booths, merchandise vendors and activities for the entire family.
Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October to honor the histories of Native cultures and to recognize the value of the many contributions made to our community through Indigenous peoples’ knowledge, labor, spirituality, technology, science, philosophy, arts and the deep cultural contribution that substantially shaped the character of Santa Ana.
Several Indigenous cultures dwelled in the area we call Santa Ana today, including the Tongva, Acjachemen, and Luiseño before the Spanish colonization began in the late 1700s. These major groups of Indigenous People in Orange County were thought to originate from the Shoshone.
The Plaza of the Sun is located at 22 Civic Center Plaza in the heart of Santa Ana’s Civic Center between the Santa Ana Public Library and City Hall. Guests will have access to multiple parking garages in Downtown Santa Ana that are walking-distance from the event.
For more information on the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, visit https://www.santa-ana.org/indigenous-peoples-day/ or call the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency at (714) 571-4200.