Musical and aboriginal dance performances, slide shows, free screenings of Banff Mountain Film Festival water productions, and a presentation starring grade six Banff Elementary School students are among the events open to the public for the 2003 Banff Mountain Summit starting next weekend.

More than 50 scientists, water managers, and advocates from around the world will gather at The Banff Centre from November 23 to 26 for the three-day summit entitled Mountains as Water Towers that coincides with the United Nations’ 2003 International Year of Freshwater. Delegates will explore issues surrounding the great storage houses of fresh water in the world’s mountain regions.

The Summit opens Sunday, November 23 in the Eric Harvie Theatre at 7:30 p.m. with a keynote address by Maude Barlow, national chair of The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization. The evening continues with an Aboriginal dance performance by world champion hoop dancer Alex Wells, followed by the official launch of a provocative book of essays called Whose Water is it?. Sunday night tickets are $16 each.

Canadian singer/songwriter Sid Marty will celebrate water with his "Let the River Run" performance on Monday, November 24 starting at 8 p.m. in the Max Bell Auditorium. This will be followed by "Sacred Water - an accidental pilgrimage down the Ganges River", a multi-media presentation by Maria Coffey and Dag Goering. Goering is an acclaimed professional photographer who also has a breath-taking photo exhibition on display in the Max Bell lobby entitled "Sacred Water - The Ganges, a gift from the Himalaya".

Next, Mark Angelo will present a slide show "Riverworld - A personal journey to the world’s wildest waters and places", a dramatic look at some of the outstanding rivers throughout the world. Tickets for the Monday evening event are $11 each.

Some of the Banff Mountain Film Festival’s greatest water adventure films and water-issues productions will be shown Tuesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. along with a special performance by Ms. Moleski's grade six class from the Banff Elementary School and a musical look at climate change. Admission is free (SORRY, THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.).

For tickets or information about Mountains As Water Towers call the Banff Centre Box Office at 403-762-6301 or 1-800-413-8368 or click on www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/festivals/summit/