Boulder replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to acknowledge the devastating impact of colonization and honor the resilience and continued existence of Indigenous peoples. The movement to replace the holiday gained traction due to recognition of Christopher Columbus’s record of enslavement and violence against native populations and was supported by community members and Indigenous leaders.  

Events honor the existence, culture and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America.

 BOULDER, Colo. – Each year, the City of Boulder provides support to organizations that recognize Indigenous Peoples Day through events and celebrations honoring the existence, culture and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America. Through this support, the city and its community partners work to promote knowledge about Indigenous Peoples and honor the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution. The City of Boulder recognizes the second Monday in October each year as Indigenous Peoples Day.

This year, the city’s Housing and Human Services department and Office of Arts and Culture have provided funding for several community events to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day 2025. Community events are free and open to the public. Find information provided by event organizers below.

• Sunday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Breaking Barriers to Native Education For All
  • Where: Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302
  • Details: Right Relationship Boulder Presents Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2025: “Breaking Barriers to Native Education for All.” This event will foster cross-generational connections through Native-led panels, art, education, and healing activities, highlighting local Native voices and perspectives. Attendees will engage with interactive discussions, a Native art market, education resource fair, and food vendors, while learning to support Native-designed curricula and commit to building lasting, inclusive community relationships.
  • Free tickets are recommended but not required.
• Sunday, Oct. 12 from time 12 to 6 p.m. – Indigenous People’s Day Celebration
  • Where: Mi Chantli, 1750 30th St. Boulder, CO 80301
  • Details: La Vecindad presents an Indigenous People’s Day Celebration that will feature art, music, dance, food, workshops, and storytelling to honor and reclaim Indigenous heritage, language, and wisdom. Highlights include Danza Azteca, bookmaking and printmaking workshops, a tamale tasting competition, tortilla-making stations, traditional foods, community elder talks, and a performance by Los Mocochetes.
• Sunday, Oct. 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. – Indigenous People’s Day: Games, Poetry, and Ancestral Mathematics
  • Where: Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80302
  • Details: Presented by Luna Cultura, this event will include food and live music; a lecture on Mother Earth teachings from Indigenous oral tradition; a poetry and storytelling workshop; an ancestral mathematics session creating the Nepohualtzintzin; play-based healing activities; and community connection time with closing reflections. It celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day by honoring Indigenous legacies in science, art, and literature while fostering intercultural, intergenerational dialogue and blending art and science for holistic personal and community well-being.
  • Register online.
• Sunday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. – The Boulder Roots Music Festival – Indigenous People’s Day Showcase
  • Where: Savannah Bee Company Stage, 1222 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302
  • Details: Presented by Roots Music Project, this event will include performances by Indigenous artists, showcasing diverse cultural music traditions and personal stories to amplify Indigenous voices. This programming will create an accessible, vibrant space for the community to deepen appreciation of Indigenous culture and its influence on contemporary music.

In 2016, the Human Relations Commission and community members drafted the Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution (Resolution No. 1190), which was presented at the Aug. 2, 2016, Boulder City Council meeting and adopted by the City of Boulder. It declared the second Monday of October of each year to be Indigenous Peoples Day. The resolution also guides the city’s ongoing collaboration with American Indian Tribal Nations and ongoing work to correct omissions of Indigenous Peoples’ presence in places, resources and cultural programming.

For additional information about Indigenous Peoples Day visit the city’s website.

The City of Boulder appreciates the opportunity to listen and learn from American Indian Tribal Nations who are collaborating with the city on several ongoing projects, including the proposed new Healing Trail that has a community connection to the Sand Creek Massacre. For information on the city’s ongoing collaboration with Tribal Nations, please visit our Tribal Engagement and Consultation webpage.