Starting Monday, June 28, the transformation of four blocks of Bernard Avenue from a roadway to an animated public space for pedestrians begins. Meet me on Bernard is a collaborative initiative presented by the Downtown Kelowna Association, City of Kelowna, and Tourism Kelowna and runs through to Labour Day, Sept. 6.
“We’re excited to see Bernard Avenue in a new way this summer as we seek to provide more animated spaces in our community,” said Mayor Colin Basran. “Bernard will be open to pedestrians, performances and artwork, providing ample space over the summer for our community to safely come together and provide a needed boost to our local economy.”
Meet me on Bernard will run seven days a week throughout the summer with activities and performances scattered along the four blocks leading to the waterfront. Residents and visitors can enjoy a 6-metre-wide pedestrian walkway from St. Paul Street to Kerry Park. Festivals Kelowna will provide local entertainment and expanded on-street patios and retail stores’ doors will be open for all.
“In the summer months especially, Downtown is the heart of Kelowna and serves as a social and commercial hub, driving tourism, community engagement and civic pride,” said Mark Burley, Executive Director of the DKA. “Meet me on Bernard for 2021 is a completely new experience with activations that will draw visitor traffic into all four blocks for the duration of the closure. The draw from this year’s initiative will benefit not only Bernard businesses, but all business in Downtown Kelowna.”