The first weekend in June is set to be a busy one in Kelowna.
Three events are scheduled to take place in the city, giving residents of all ages something to enjoy outdoors but also requiring some changes to traffic patterns.
First up is the annual Fat Cat Children’s Festival in Waterfront Park On Friday and Saturday.
The park will be open only to festival ticket holders Friday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The festival’s parade will take place on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. along Cawston Avenue.
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Coronation Avenue from St. Paul to Richter Street and Richter Street from Clement Avenue to Cawston Avenue will be closed to accommodate parade marshalling. Rolling road closures will take place from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. along Cawston Avenue, starting at Richter Street and Water Street, ending at Ellis Street.
Traffic marshals will be directing traffic and minor delays are to be expected along the parade route. Cars parked in restricted areas will be courtesy towed to the parking lot at the corner of Doyle Avenue and Ellis Street.
Minor re-routing of transit buses may be required to avoid Cawston Avenue and the north end of Water Street during the parade.
Parking closures and restrictions will include:
June 6:
6 a.m. to 2 p.m.—On-street parking restrictions on the west side of Water Street from Sunset Drive to the cross walk between Waterfront Park and Prospera.
6 a.m. to 4 p.m.—Waterfront Park (Dolphins) Parking Lot will be closed.
June 7:
6 a.m. to 11 a.m.—On-street parking restrictions along parade route and marshalling area.
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.—Waterfront Park (Dolphins) Parking Lot will be closed.
The Festival event schedule can be found at www.fatcatfestival.ca.
Then, on Sunday the Walk/Run for Women and Strong Kids Run will go.
The five and 10 K walk and run will take place in east Kelonwa.
East Kelowna Road from McCulloch Road to Reid Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. to accommodate the race. Detour routes will be marked and motorists are asked to plan their route ahead of time to avoid delays.
Finally, the annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad, to help raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer will be riding through Kelowna on Sunday.
Riders will leave Banner Recreation on McCurdy Place and head southbound on Highway 97 to the downtown core before crossing the William Bennett Bridge into West Kelowna.
To maintain the procession, lane closures will be in effect along the route including downtown— Ellis Street (Highay 97 to Lawrence Avenue.), Lawrence Avenue (Ellis Street to Abbott Street) and Abbott Street (Lawrence Avenue to Highway 97) will be closed for approximately 15 minutes starting at 10:15 a.m.
Motorists are asked to obey traffic control personnel and RCMP along the route.
Minor re-routing or delays of transit buses may also occur in the downtown core during the temporary closure.
