Westside Daze rapidly nearing; fun starts Friday
with free activities and entertainment.
Leah Thordarson, president of the Westside Celebration Society that hosts Westside Daze, said the weather will be close to perfect for the festival which attracts between 25,000 and 35,000 people to Memorial Park.
The Westside Daze fireworks will go ahead Friday night in Gellatly Bay at 10:15 p.m.
Thordarson noted Gellatly Road remains closed from Highway 97 to the lake. She recommends people take Boucherie Road or the Glenrosa interchange to get to Gellatly Bay.
This will be the Àrst year Westside Daze will use the new amphitheatre in Memorial Park.
Westside Daze opens three days of free family fun Friday at 6:45 p.m. at Memorial Park and runs until Sunday evening.
The three-day festival which dates back in our community for over 40 years will be packed
Free entertainment includes three nights of concerts under the stars including a Tom Petty tribute, an Elvis tribute and an evening focussed on Canadian rock along with returning favourites magician Leif David and the Kinshira Fire Troupe.
This year is Canada’s 150th birthday; however, Thordarson noted the First people were here for much longer. The theme for this year’s Westside Daze is 15 Plus Decades in Canada, to mark the special date and honour the people who lived here before confederation.
Westbank First Nation Chief Roxanne Lindley has been named the honourary Westside Daze parade marshal with the parade starting Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m.
The West Kelowna Food Bank will be collecting along the parade route this year. People can either donate food or $1.50 to mark Canada 150. Food bank donations will also be accepted at Memorial Park.
Saturday afternoon will be jam-packed with activities with both Okanagan Day and the Kids’ Fair at Memorial Park from noon to 4 p.m.
Okanagan Day or sukanaqin sxelxalt will offer everything from First Nation stories, music, art, dancing and performances, to displays, demonstrations and fun activities for all ages.
Along with free activities such as face painting, whacky hair and the climbing wall, this year’s Kids’ Fair will offer a 60 by 100 foot hedge maze.
People can get a free slice of the giant Canada Day cake Saturday at 3 p.m. Baker Anja Dumas is keeping her special Canada 150 design a secret.
New this year is the trunk sale that runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the park. People can bring their unwanted household treasures to sell out of their vehicles for free. Thordarson noted items for sale should not be handmade or commercial items.
Sunday will see the Community Worship Celebration at 9:45 a.m. and the Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show ‘N Shine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The activities and entertainment at Westside Daze are all free. People can spend money at the many crafters, vendors and food booths.
It takes about $75,000 in cash to run Westside Daze, with local businesses contributing $35,000 and the City of West Kelowna providing $20,000. The rest is made up from service clubs and fundraising. Thordarson estimated Westside Daze receives between $70,000 to $75,000 from in kind donations and over $20,000 worth of volunteer time.
Parking will be at a premium for this year’s festival as the Àeld beside the A& W is being used as a tent city by B.C. WildÀre Service ÀreÀghters who have been working on Áood mitigation.
The City of West Kelowna will be hooding the No Parking signs on Old Okanagan Highway by the Johnson-Bentley pool. Anyone who is handicapped can park at the pool.
Telus volunteers will be helping anyone with a challenge walking by driving them in a sixperson golf cart from the pool parking lot to the Àeld and back. For a full schedule for Westside Daze, go online to WestsideDaze.com.