Celebrate 15 Years of Culture Days Through a Vibrant Showcase of Community Arts and Activities Across the Okanagan Valley
The countrywide network of free and Pay-What-You-May arts, culture, and heritage events returns for three weeks this fall, offering activities in Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Summerland, Armstrong, Enderby, and Salmon Arm
This fall, Culture Days is back with vibrant energy from Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, 2024, featuring a lineup of over 50 free and Pay-What-You-May music events, arts workshops, open studios, exhibitions, plus more across the Okanagan Valley.
Now celebrating 15 years, Culture Days continues to make art, creativity, and culture accessible to everyone across Canada. Participants can now plan ahead using new, easy-to-use web tools, browse and pre-register for activities, set reminders, and bookmark favourites. Discover more at Culturedays.ca/bc and follow @BCCultureDays on social media for more information.
For three weeks communities in Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Summerland, Armstrong, Enderby, and Salmon Arm will be able to connect with local arts and cultural groups, arts councils, creators, artisans, and businesses through Culture Days’ hands-on and interactive activities.
The Sundog Festival of Arts and Culture is back for the second year in a row and is a highlight of Culture Days not only in the Okanagan but for the whole of the province. The Culture Days-inspired festival is community-driven, offering opportunities for everyone in the North Okanagan community to participate in their own unique way. The festival will kick off with a high-energy, music-filled weekend at Polson Park, followed by dozens of free activities at the Vernon Arts Centre, Caetani Centre, Vernon Library, Cardiff and Miller Art Warehouse, and other local arts and culture attractions.
“We are excited to announce an even better Sundog Festival with a diverse lineup of musicians from across the province and greater community participation. This kick-off event for Culture Days in the North Okanagan is a celebration of vibrant local cultures and continues to strengthen our sense of unity and connection,” says Shawna Patenaude, Executive Director of the Arts Council of the North Okanagan.
Throughout the Central and South Okanagan, the public can expect fun, family-friendly activities, including a Jazz Jam at the Rotary Centre for Arts, a Blacksmithing Demonstration at the Westbank Museum, and the Ryga Arts Festival in Summerland.
In addition, featuring this year’s theme of ‘Intercultural Celebration,’ BC Culture Days ambassadors across the province will be presenting an exciting, new Intercultural Interplay series. Participants attending events from this series will have the opportunity to discover and honour cultural differences and shared experiences together, learn about each other’s individual and collective histories, and create valuable community connections. The Okanagan will be host to two Intercultural Interplay events, one a cultural sketching tour presented by visual artist and founder of the Okanagan Urban Sketchers Group, Shauna Kay (Armstrong and Kelowna), and another paint-making and collaborative painting workshop presented by contemporary visual artist and founder of the Creative Exchange, Mackenzie Perras (Kelowna). Through storytelling, creative exploration, and community building, participants in these events will learn more about creative commonalities that exist among various cultures, and realize the power of art in bringing people together, regardless of how they identify.
Culture Days raises awareness, accessibility, and participation in arts and culture across Canada. Organizations and artists in B.C. are encouraged to register their free, interactive events for Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, 2024 on the Culture Days website. Anyone—from grassroots community volunteers, public libraries, and independent artists, to major arts, culture, and heritage institutions, specialty festivals, and municipalities—can register Culture Days events as long as the events are participatory and free or Pay-What-You-May to attend. Event registration is open until Sept. 19, 2024 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
For more information on how to take part in BC Culture Days, sign up for the BC Culture Days newsletter or visit culturedays.ca/bc. For updates on BC Culture Days and the BC Culture Days artist ambassadors, please follow BC Culture Days on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Use Hashtags: #BCCultureDays, #CultureDays, and #InterculturalInterplay.
