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Indigenous Peoples Day Is Happening Now In DTLA. Here's How The City Is Celebrating

By  LAist Staff
Published Oct 8, 2018 9:28 AM
Los Angeles marks its first Indeigenous Peoples Day at City Hall on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Alyssa Jeong Perry/LAist)
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Today marks the first Indigenous People's Day to be recognized as an official city holiday in Los Angeles, replacing the long-problematic Columbus Day.

The L.A. City Council voted last August to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day as a city holiday about two years after Councilman Mitch O'Farrell introduced the motion.

The county and city of L.A. have teamed up to throw the inaugural celebration, which kicked off at 7 a.m. and runs to 7 p.m. at both City Hall and Grand Park. The festivities include a 5K run, parade of nations, Native American powwow, fashion show, and a performance by Native American rock group Redbone and the Black Eyed Peas to close out the evening.

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From left, Nathan Núñez, Emma Núñez and Kevin Núñez of the Gabrieleno Tongva San Gabriel band of Mission Indians came to downtown L.A. to take part in the city's inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day celebration. (Alyssa Jeong Perry/LAist)
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RELATED STORY: A Brief History Of L.A.'s Indigenous Tongva People

By noon Monday, the festivities were ramping up, with hundreds of people filling Grand Park with dancing and drum circles.

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We'll have more to add as the festivities continue today.

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