The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas will return July 11-12, 2026, hosted on the campus of College of the Atlantic, continuing its tradition as a multi-day summer festival that centers Wabanaki and Native thought leadership through panels, performances, and a Northeastern Native arts market.

This year’s Dawnland festival also marks a new moment of national connection through a collaboration with The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s 2026 Of the People: Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.

“This collaboration places the Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas within a broader national conversation about ongoing cultural practice, while remaining grounded in Wabanaki leadership and place-based knowledge,” stated Betsy Richards, executive director at the Abbe Museum. “Being the only New England-based festival participating reflects the importance of Indigenous-led platforms that support cultural continuity and cross-cultural dialogue in this region.”

Smithsonian Folklife will collaborate with the Abbe on select panel conversations and performance programming, while Dawnland remains fully grounded in Wabanaki voices, perspectives, and shared authority.