West Kelowna hosts TOTA’s 7 Celebrations Festival

West Kelowna hosts TOTA’s 7 Celebrations Festival

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is excited to announce the final event in the 7 Celebrations – Reconnect in the Thompson Okanagan series.

Everyone is invited to a fun filled day on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the syilx/Okanagan people in West Kelowna’s Memorial Park on May 20.

7 Celebrations Reconnecting in the Central Okanagan will be a celebration of the Okanagan community and Indigenous culture of the sqilxʷ people.

The family friendly event promises to connect attendees through song, dance, storytelling, and a celebration of local food, products and businesses. Highlights include a Kids Zone; along with live performances from Indigenous storytellers and drummers; Canadian Jazz singer KINGA; Folk Musician Dan Tait; Kelowna Bhangra Academy; Reggae artist GoldMynd; Indie rock band Gary Saturday; Juno Award Nominated The Oot n’ Oots family act; Rock Steady Classic Rock Tribute Band; and country group The Prairie States closes the night as they perform on stage before a spectacular backdrop of Okanagan Lake and the Monashee Mountains.

Saturday Main Schedule – 10am-9:30pm

Opening words from TOTA
Corinne Derickson as Elder for Opening Prayer
Councillor Jordan Coble
Corinne Derickson & Family
Kids Zone & Artisan Market Opens
12:15-1:00pm – Dan Tait – solo acoustic performer
1:00 – 1:30pm – Kelowna Bhangra Academy
1:30 – 2:15pm – KINGA – 2019 1st Round Grammy Nominee
2:15 – 2:45pm – Coralee Miller / Sncewips Storytelling
2:45 – 3:30pm – GoldMynd – Reggae/Hiphop
3:30 – 4:00pm – Birch Creek Drum Group
4:00 – 4:45pm – Gary Saturday – Folk/Rock
4:45 – 5:15pm – Birch Creek Drum Group
5:15 – 6:00pm – The Oots n Oots – 2022 Juno Nominees
– 30 min break –
6:30 – 7:30pm – Rock Steady – Rock Cover Band
– 30 min break –
8:00-9:30pm – HEADLINER – The Prairie States – Country Pop Rock

The event runs from 10am to 9:30pm at Memorial Park and is hosted by TOTA, Canadian Heritage Fund, Visit Westside, and the Sncewips Heritage Museum.

This is a perfect opportunity to get to know one of the highlights of the Central Okanagan. The region is home to some beautiful landscapes, beaches, hillsides, orchards, wineries and mountains. It is renowned for its incredible food and wine culture, outdoor recreation, and the sqilxʷ people’s rich history that has been passed down through the generations by way of ancient oral stories. There are many diverse communities in the Central Okanagan, all with unique people, cultures, stories and traditions to be celebrated in an unforgettable day of reconnection.

The 7 Celebrations series was designed to commemorate the reopening of the Thompson Okanagan after the pandemic and celebrate the community-spirit and culture of its regions. Each is graced with its own unique people, stories and traditions. TOTA invited locals and visitors alike to reconnect, celebrate and discover a taste of what each community offers over the seven month festival.

Attendees are invited to capture their time at the final celebrations throughout the tag #TO7Celebrations.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.