Savour fall in Osoyoos with three fabulous festivals

To celebrate the annual transition—and the valley’s talent—three fabulous festivals take place between Labour Day and Halloween.

1. Celebrate Diverse Artists at the Pride Arts Festival

Dance to live music, listen to poets and storytellers, and shop for locally-made arts and crafts at the Pride Arts Festival on Saturday, September 12. 

The event showcases musicians, dancers, artists, and spoken word performers from the valley’s 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous and Black/People of Colour communities.

“We’re trying to amplify (artists) who have historically experienced marginalization, and who haven’t received the accolades they deserve,” says Keisha McLean, the festival chair and artist coordinator. “We make sure there’s equity and diversity on stage.”

The celebration kicks off at 11am with a Pride parade, followed by a full day of performances in Gyro Park. 

Those attending the free, family-friendly event can expect thrilling entertainment in a safe, inclusive environment. There’s also a beer garden serving Okanagan wine and craft beer, and local food vendors.

“The Okanagan has such a flourishing arts community,” says McLean. “We really believe that if you’re not sure about the Pride part, but really like the music, it’s a great way to learn and have fun in a comfortable space.”

2. Toast Craft Producers During Wine Capital Weekend

The following weekend, the valley comes alive with music and spirits during Wine Capital Weekend, a three-day festival that takes place in Oliver, September 18-20. 

To make the most of the festival, base yourself in Osoyoos, an easy drive down the valley.

“Wine Capital Weekend is a celebration of the South Okanagan with live music and lots of craft producers,” says Brad Morgan, the marketing director for Tourism Oliver, which coordinates the festival. 

“It culminates with the Festival of the Grape, one of the longest running wine events in the region.”

Fall in love with Osoyoos fall festivals

The festivities get underway Friday at District Wine Village when Canadian band 54.40 takes the stage. 

Fans can listen to hits like ‘I Go Blind’ while sessioning beers, sampling cocktails, or sipping wine from the on-site brewery, distillery, or one of nine wineries.

The fun continues Saturday in Oliver Community Park during the 10th annual Cask & Keg Festival, a toast to craft beer, cider and spirits. 

Everyone loves watching the beer-themed relay events at the Beer Olympics, as well as the Stein Holding contest where competitors see who can hold a heavy stein of beer the longest (pictured below). 

If you think you can beat last year’s record of six minutes and 20 seconds, be sure to sign up to participate!

“People love coming to our festivals because we have the experiential part to it that other festivals don’t do,” says Morgan.

Expect more audience participation on Sunday at the Festival of the Grape, with over 100 different wines from valley wineries to sample. 

If people don’t want to sip they can stomp—a key event is the Grape Stomp competition, where costumed teams see who can crush the most grapes. 

3. Get Bewitched at the All Hallows Festival

It’s totally normal to see mermaids, witches and fire-breathing humans grooving out in Gyro Park in late October. 

This collection of fairytale characters—who have seemingly jumped from the pages of a storybook into real life—is part of the All Hallows Festival, a two-day, Halloween-inspired event that takes place in Osoyoos on October 24 and 25.

“It’s a harvest carnival that really embraces creativity and brings in performers to inspire the local community,” says festival producer Wina Poliquin. “It’s live interactive art.”

The festival begins Saturday evening with aerial acrobatics and a fire performance that lights up the stage. 

On Sunday, high-energy band Blackberry Wood gets the circus spirit going with their unique “alt-country-gypsy-punk” sound that includes brass horns and marching drums. 

Attendees can also expect belly dancers and a chainsaw sculptor, plus food trucks, beer and wine.

For many, the highlight is the more than 50 SUP-ing witches who paddleboard across Osoyoos Lake to Gyro Beach on Sunday. 

“They arrive from the lake and we do the classic broom dance—Shake Your Bacon—and get about 400 people dancing all together,” says Poliquin. “It’s a nice witchy vibe.”  
 

Know before you go

Plan your trip to Osoyoos around any of these three fall festvals, as featured in this story:

Sept 12  Pride Arts Festival
Sept 18-20  Wine Capital Weekend
Oct 24-25  All Hallows Festival

Check out the Destination Osoyoos event page for more fall events in Osoyoos and area.

Of course, fall is the time to enjoy the earth's bounty, and Osoyoos is known as a wine-producing and fertiel growing region. Be sure to visit some of the local wineries and fruit stands to savour some of the goodness of the season. You can find a full list of local food experiences here.  

What else is going on in Osoyoos this fall? 

Visit the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre and experience the new interactive CGI-animated film, Whispers of the Trickster, in a 360 multi-sensory theatre. The 15-minute show shares syilx Okanagan history and teaches the importance of caring for the land.