The inaugural Adäka Cultural Festival has wrapped up its nine-day run, and organizers are already planning its next incarnation, with plans for next year's event to be held in the newly built Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre.

"I'm totally on a high,” festival organizer Charlene Alexander said Monday.

"We had visitors from around the world. We've had nothing but positive feedback. There was a really amazing energy throughout the week.”

Alexander has been organizing festivals like this for 23 years, and she said this is the smoothest event she has been involved with. She said the feedback from the artists involved has been overwhelming.

"If you have happy artists, you have a great festival,” she said.

Mayor Bev Buckway noted the festival drew a large number of performers and artists from Outside.

She said Monday she was happy Whitehorse could host such a rich cultural event. Artists came from throughout the Yukon, as well as B.C., Northwest Territories, Greenland and Alaska.

"I think festivals like this are tremendously important. They provide opportunities for Yukon artists to showcase their talents to the world,” said Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor.

"I only see it growing from here. I think the festival organizers have a lot to be proud of,” she said.

Buckway echoed the sentiment, expressing hope that the Adäka Cultural Festival will continue for many years to come.

As well as being an important showcase of First Nations culture and art, it was a great opportunity for artists to network, said Taylor.

"This will open up opportunities and future markets for their wares,” said the minister.

The weather was inconsistent over the course of the festival, but the event was well-attended regardless, said Alexander.

One of the most popular features was the demonstration tents, where visitors could watch a piece of art created before their eyes.

"We'll need to grow a little bit there, because next year the demand will be even higher,” said Alexander.

She expressed hopes that other jurisdictions would financially support artists in attending the festival.

"We had a number of artists from Haida Gwaii who told us they were so excited to come back, and that they're going to bring all their friends. I think you'll see artists are going to start finding their own way here,” she said.

Alexander said she's excited for the new venue next year, partially because organizers will no longer have to deal with the road closures and traffic problems inherent in hosting an event downtown. Part of First Avenue was closed to accommodate a large tent.

"I'm glad I won't have to go through that again,” she said. "It took us several months to get that all worked out.”

Festival staff toured the nearly completed Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre recently, and Alexander was thrilled by it.

"It was like they built it for us. There's lots of room for tents, the parking is better, we can provide meals for our artists.… It's a real natural gathering place for people,” she said.

However, holding the event there could also potentially pose problems.

"We'll have to work harder to make sure people know we're there. It's a little more out of the way,” she said of the waterfront location near Black Street.

Alexander said she has tiny tweaks in mind for next year's festival, but in general they will continue to build on the momentum they've achieved since hosting an event at the 2010 Olympic Games.

"The problems were so small. There are things that will change slightly, sure. But I feel absolutely content,” she said.

This year's festival included traditional and contemporary music, dance, drumming, visual art, traditional craft, storytelling, film, cultural presentations, workshops, artists' demonstrations and a community feast.

In all, the festival included 55 visual artists and 125 performing artists.

Adäka means "coming into the light” in the Southern Tutchone language.