Your guide to Canada 150 weekend activities in West Kelowna
From events like Westside Daze and Àreworks to outdoor activities like biking and hiking, kayaking and swimming, West Kelowna invites everyone to join in the Canada 150 long weekend fun and festivities taking place throughout the city.
The city’s boat launches and a few beaches, parks and roads are closed, but plenty more are open and residents and visitors can Ànd many great things to do in West Kelowna to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.
On Okanagan Lake, please keep activities wake free due to high water levels and Áoating debris. Wake free activities include: • Kayaking and canoeing • Paddle boarding • Swimming at CNR Wharf (the “Old Ferry Dock”), Marina Park and Willow Beach (Pebble and Pritchard Parks and their beaches are closed)
Community events taking place over the weekend include:
• Summer Vibrations School’s Out Concert, free admission, Thursday, June 29, 7 p.m. at Memorial Park; food trucks on site, prices vary; hosted by Creative Okanagan and the City of West Kelowna
• Westside Daze, hosted by the Westside Celebration Society:
• Fireworks – free – Friday, June 30, 10:15 p.m. at Gellatly Bay near Willow Beach (parking is limited, please carpool; to avoid Gellatly Road closure between Witt Road and Angus Drive please travel via Glenrosa Interchange and Gellatly Road South or East Boundary Road, Ridge Estates Drive and Boucherie Road);
• Parade – free – Saturday, July 1, starting at 10:30 a.m. along Old Okanagan Highway, Drought Road and Brown Road; catch the West Kelowna Fire Rescue Wet Zone at the north end of Brown Road
• Road closures are in effect along the route and on Gossett, Bering and Butt Roads between Old Okanagan Highway and Brown Road, and on Brenda Lee Road from 10:30 to noon; trafÀc disruptions are possible in the area starting at 8:30 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m.
• Show N’ Shine Car Show – free admission – Sunday, July 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Park
• For details on other events, including the free kids fair and outdoor concerts at Memorial Park, go online to westsidedaze.com
• Thank you to the volunteers who organize all Westside Daze events.
• Westbank Farmer’s Market, Saturday, July 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Westridge Mall Looking for outdoor activities? • Picnic and play at Rotary Beach, Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park or Okanagan Kids Care Water Playground at Westbank Centre Park
• Hike Mt. Boucherie – try the popular, new Boucherie Grind Trail for spectacular views
• Hike at Kalamoir (500m section of lake front trail closed) or Rose Valley Regional Park
• Mountain bike at Rose Valley Regional Park or Smith Creek Gruel
For those looking for tourism outings (costs vary):
• Book a tee time at Shannon Lake or Two Eagles Golf Course • Arrange a wine tour at a local winery • Tour the Farm Loop. Go online to westsidefarmloop.com • Go to visitwestside.com for more great activity ideas. Due to historically high lake levels the Casa Loma and Gellatly Boat Launches remain closed; and the following parks are also closed in whole or part: • Aberdeen Park - closed • Gellatly Landing Park - closed • Glen Canyon Regional Park – partially closed, from the Acorn bridge downstream to the Gellatly Road parking area and from the Constable Neil Bruce entrance upstream to the Covington Crescent entrance at Last Mountain Community Park • Jennens Beach access – closed • Pebble Beach - closed • Pritchard Park - closed • Public access at Barona Beach – closed For lakeside parks and beach accesses that remain open, please keep clear of all Áood protection barriers.