Red Dress Day, on May 5, is a time to remember and honour the thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have been murdered or who are missing in Canada. This post explains the origins of this important day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It also lists Red Dress Day events scheduled in BC in 2025.
Who started Red Dress Day?
Red Dress Day was inspired by Metis artist Jaime Black who created a visual installation in 2010 to draw attention to the epidemic of violence towards Indigenous women. Black hung hundreds of red dresses outside at the University of Winnipeg. Blowing in the wind, the empty dresses made the invisible tragedy starkly public. They told viewers that the women and girls were still here in spirit, still waiting for justice.
Black said she chose red because an Indigenous friend told her it was the only colour visible to spirits. It also represents both vitality and violence. Hanging in concrete cityscapes, the brightly coloured dresses hold space for the missing women, and for those who grieve their loss.
Although the awareness day is called Red Dress Day, the title of Black’s original installation was the REDress Project. “Redress” means to remedy or make right. So it makes sense that 15 years later the red dresses are now a world-wide symbol calling on governments to protect Indigenous women and girls from racialized and gendered violence.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
In Canada, Red Dress Day reminds us of the 231 calls for justice in the final report from the National Inquiry into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It’s also an opportunity for people who have lost loved ones or who have experienced violence to gather for comfort and for solidarity.
The REDress Project is now a permanent exhibit at the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg. Red Dress Day is observed in towns and cities across North America. And people hang red dresses in windows of their homes, in their yards, and in parks to remember the missing women.
Raising awareness is, unfortunately, essential because Indigenous women are still overrepresented as victims of violence. While they make up only five per cent of the population, they accounted for 22% of women killed by an intimate partner between 2019 and 2023.
Red Dress Events in BC in 2025
Following are a list of some of the Red Dress Day events scheduled in BC communities in 2025:
Virtual
Host: Federal government in partnership with Women and Gender Equality Canada
Date: May 7, 2025
Time: 1:30 to 3 pm
Description: A panel of guests from the Indigenous community in Canada will share their diverse experiences and perspectives.
Link:
https://catalogue.csps-efpc.gc.ca/product?catalog=IRA1-E54&cm_locale=en
Cranbrook
46 17 Ave S, Cranbrook, BC
Host: ʔaq̓am First Nation
Date: May 4, 2025
Time: 11am to 2pm
Description: Walk and Awareness Day.
•Marching from Street Angels to Rotary Park, where we will be met with guest speakers who will share their stories and how their lives have been impacted.
•Local organizations onsite with resources and information.
•Mr. Mikes has graciously donated burgers, available free of charge
Enderby
Splatsin Community Centre, 5767 Old Vernon Road, Enderby, BC
Host: Grassroots MMIWG2S Organizers
Date: May 1, 2025
Time: 11am to 2 pm
Description: Gathering
Support services on-site by Indian Residential School Survivor Society MMIWG2S workers
Presentations:
•Butterflies in Spirit
•MMIWG2S Red Dress Jingle Dancers
•MMIWG2S Fashion Show
•K9 Search Dog Information Table
•BWSS Public Legal Education – criminal, family, MMIWG legal issues
•Grassroots discussion: Sexual exploitation of Indigenous women and girls on Indigenous lands
•Open mic for MMIWG2S families, survivors, and Indigenous allies
•Hand drummers, advocates, and supporters warmly welcomed
mmiwg2sevents@gmail.com
204-817-9690
North Vancouver
Hosted by North Shore Violence Against Women in Relationships Society
Location: Strength and Remembrance Pole, North Vancouver RCMP Detachment, 147 East 14th Street, North Vancouver
Date: May 5
Time: 11 am to 12 pm
Description:
Led by Squamish Elder Xelemilh-Doris Paul
Wear red and bring your drum.
Pitt Meadows
Date: Monday, May 5, 2025 Time: 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Location: šxʷhék̓ ʷnəs (Spirit Square), 11985 Harris Rd, Pitt Meadows B.C.
Description: Ceremony in šxʷhék̓ʷnəs (Spirit Square)
Fort St. John
Hosts: Fort St. John Métis Society and Fort St. John Friendship Society
Date: May 5
Time: Noon to 9 pm
Location: Festival Plaza
Description: A walk of remembrance will begin at Festival Plaza, followed by an artisan market at the plaza from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
4 pm to 8 pm – Beading class, anyone can drop in to bead red dress earrings
7 pm – Indigenous dancers
9 pm – Candlelight vigil
Email the Métis Society at fsjmetis@telus.net
Moberly Lake
Hosted by: Salteau First Nations
Date: May 5 at 5 pm
Time: 5 pm
Description: Walk will begin at the Boucher Lake turn-off, 35 kilometres north of Chetwynd on Highway 29. It will conclude at the Fire Lake/Moberly Lake turn-off, a lake accessed by Fire Lake Access Road.
7 pm Barbecue
All residents invited.
Contact SFN’s community events coordinator Carlee Westgate at cwestgate@saulteau.com or Tylene Paquette at tpaquette@saulteau.com.
Nanaimo
Hosted by: XPey’ Selhini’ Lelum /Cedar Women’s House and VIU’s Social Work Department, Vancouver Island University Women and Gender Equity Committee, and several local organizations
Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025
Time: 2 pm to 3:30 pm
Location: Maffeo Sutton Park/Sway-a-Lana, Nanaimo
New Westminster
Hosted by: Justice Institute BC, 715 McBride Boulevard
Date: May 5 to May 8
Description:
May 5, 9 am – Opening ceremony in the Atrium.
Daily from May 6 to May 8 in the Atrium
10 to 3 pm – REDresses in outdoor spaces around campus
12 to 1 pm – Beading Circle
May 8, 2 pm – Closing Circle in the Gathering Place for those who would like to connect in ceremony and share their experiences during the week of awareness for MMIWG2S+.
Open to students, faculty, and staff.
New Westminster
Host: City of New Westminster and Spirit of the Children Society
Date: May 5
Time: 1pm to 3pm
Location: Hyack Square
Description
•A red dress display
•Free red dress pins; available while supplies last
•Free snacks and beverages available while supplies last
•Family-friendly activities
•A ceremony hosted by Spirit of the Children Society
Vancouver
Host: Aboriginal Mother Centre Society
Date: May 5
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Location: Grandview Park (1657 Charles Street)
Description
•Community gathering
•Wear red
•Bring drums
•Cedar brushing
•Healing