Newton began observing Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day in 2021, and the festival has gotten bigger each year. Unfortunately, this year the rain from Sunday night kept everyone off of Albemarle Field (imagine the mud!). Fortunately, Newton North High School had room for everyone.

This is the second year in a row the event has been moved indoors. The halls of the school’s first floor were packed with vendors, artisans, attendees, city and state officials, and food.

“Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of Newton  is very, very important,” Mayor Marc Laredo said. “It’s an opportunity for all of us to collectively celebrate the histories, the cultures, the traditions and the contributions of indigenous people throughout the world and especially right here in Massachusetts. Indigenous history is not simply something that we have in the past. It is a living history, reflected in the people, traditions, knowledge and communities that continues to enrich all of us today.”

Native American tribes have occupied what is now New England for thousands of years. Much of eastern Massachusetts and the land Newton stands on was inhabited by Wampanoag and Massachusett tribes.

In the 17th century, European settlers lived alongside Native Americans and worked out land sales and treaties with them. But the Europeans also brought illnesses that the natives had no immunity to, like smallpox and cattle-borne viruses, and pandemics ravaged indigenous communities. In the 17th and 18th centuries, relations between settlers and natives became increasingly violent, and eventually, native families who had managed to survive it all were displaced to reservations from sea to shining sea.

Newton’s City Council voted in 2020 to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, to honor the region’s Native American tribes. The next year, Indigenous Peoples Day Newton held its first celebration. It’s gotten bigger and more popular each year, and in 2024, tribal leaders read a proclamation that Newton’s Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration should be seen as the must-go-to event in the commonwealth.

To learn more about Indigenous Peoples Day Newton or donate to fund future events and programs, visit ipdnewton.org.

Here are some photos from Newton’s sixth Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration.

Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day was celebrated at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

State Rep. Amy Sangiolo, left, and City Councilor Tarik Lucas, right, attend Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

A drum circle accompanies dancers at Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Mayor Marc Laredo delivers remarks, interpreted in ASL by Sharon Mendes, at Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Giancarlo Richardson, left, and Emily Norton, right, manage an information table during Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Left to right: State Rep. Greg Schwartz, Mayor Marc Laredo and city councilors Cyrus Dahmubed and Sean Roche attend Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

A man sells shirts and jewelry at Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Joel Cruz works on hand-carved creations at Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Artist and author Robert Peters signs a picture for a customer at Newton’s sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Newton North High School on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle