2023 will be the 24th year of “Celebrate Canada Day - Kelowna” marking the launch of summer for Kelowna’s residents and visitors as they join more than 60,000 of their friends and neighbors of all ethnicities to celebrate Canada. Still one of the largest Canada Day celebrations in B.C. , Kelowna’s Canada Day will takeover Waterfront Park and Prospera Place on Saturday July 1st with activities starting at 11:00 am and running until the fireworks display at 10:00 pm.
"It’s kinda crazy to think we’ve been holding this fun, community celebration each July 1st for 24 years,” enthuses Renata Mills, Executive Director of Festivals Kelowna, the festival’s Producer. “Canadians have so many reasons to be proud of our Nation, especially when you look around the globe and see conflict and disharmony elsewhere. We may disagree on issues, but Canadians can still come together safely in large numbers to proudly proclaim what makes Canada so great, and this event is a great way to do that”.
New this year, the event will focus activities primarily in Waterfront Park. Kelowna’s one day party will include a variety of activities with appeal to a diversity of interests, ages, and tastes. Attractions will include live music on 3 outdoor stages across multiple genres, more than 25 different drop-in activities and games in the Century 21 Kids Zone including the City of Kelowna Park n’Play inflateables, a chick-hatching and holding station, pictures with a real life mermaid, getting up close and personal with snakes and lizards courtesy of the “Reptile Queen”, and tons of hands-on craft stations such as the “make a fan and keychain” station presented by Aesthetiks Lab. Festivals goers can enjoy Canada Day goodies courtesy of sponsor partners such as TD bank, Regency Resorts, BC Lottery Corporation, and Kelowna Cabs, watch the annual “Mini-Regatta” hosted by the Kelowna Model Sailboat Association, shop from over 25 artisan booths at the “Made in Canada Marketplace” or 22 unique small businesses in the “Canada Day Bazaar”, visit with 12 different Community Groups sharing info about the great work they do for our city, as well as enjoy a slice of freshly cut, cold watermelon courtesy of the great folks at Save-On Foods.
In addition to a whole new slate of performing artists on the stages, this year’s event features the first annual Canada Day Wienerama with over 112 wiggling puppies taking part in the “Canada Day Dachsund Races”, presented by the Kelowna Dachsund Club. Adding to the daytime energy, the Kelowna City Concert Band will perform a free show at a new time and location this year, on the plaza in front of Prospera Place from 10am to 12 noon.
Joining the party for their 48th year are the wonderful festivities presented by one of the longest running Canada Day celebrations in Kelowna, the annual “Folkfest”. Produced entirely by volunteers from our community, visitors will enjoy 5 hours of live multicultural performances and ethnic food from a variety of local cultural groups from 10:00 am to 3:30pm at Prospera Place. The official ceremonies and the popular “Happy Birthday Canada” cake courtesy of Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty will be held in Prospera Place at 12:30 pm. A detailed schedule of multicultural performances is available in the “Celebrate Canada Day – Kelowna” schedule of events and at FestivalsKelowna.com
Live music and cultural performances continue to play an important role in the Canada Day festivities. Three outdoor stages of live performances will include the “Kiwanis Family Stage presented by New Country 100.7” offering performances for children of all ages, the “Parks Alive! Power Stage featuring 7 local and touring Rock bands, and the “TD Beach Stage highlighting multicultural performances between sets of Blues, Celtic, Country and headlined by Vancouver- based “XL The Band”, a hip-hop/Jazz alternative fusion band made up of multi-JUNO Award-winning performers from the Hip-hop group “Swollen Members”. Complete artist line-ups, stage times, and locations are available in the media kit and online at www.FestivalsKelowna.com
Additional Canada Day themed activities in nearby Cultural District venues include the Kelowna Art Gallery who will offer a variety of drop-in, Canadiana themed craft activities from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, as well as free admission to the its newest Gallery show “Takao Tanabe: Printmaker“.
Wrapping up the Kelowna Canada Day celebrations is the much anticipated “Canada Day Fireworks presented by the City of Kelowna, Shoreline Pile Driving, and Festivals Kelowna” shot over Tugboat Bay. The show will begin at 10:00 pm and is visible anywhere North of the William R. Bennett bridge along the lakeshore.
Celebrate Canada Day – Kelowna festival is free to attend, however donations are welcome and help support the costs of presenting this community celebration. Volunteers with donation buckets will be located at all entrances to Prospera Place and Waterfront Park, and all festival information booths. For those who prefer to donate digitally will be the option to “TAP to DONATE” using your debit or credit cards to make a donation. Look for the donation stand at each of the Info Booths to quickly and easily support this free celebration with a $2, $5, or $10 donation.
A complete schedule of activities with times and locations can be found online at www.festivalskelowna.com by following the link to the Canada Day page as well as onsite from any of the three Info Booths in Waterfront Park on July 1st.
Celebrate Canada Day - Kelowna is an annual, free, community festival produced in partnership by Festivals Kelowna, the FolkFest society, and the Kelowna City Band society. The festival is held in Kelowna's Cultural District at Prospera Place and Waterfront Park for residents and visitors to celebrate our nation's birthday.