Record crowds are expected by organizers for the Festival of the Grape this October, the Okanagan’s largest family fall wine festival.
“We generally attract approximately 3,500 guests to the Festival Of the Grape,” said Bonnie Dancey, CEO of the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event. “We expect that number to climb closer to 4,000 this year. The word is out the Festival Of the Grape is the family fall event to attend to sample some of the world’s finest wines and celebrate Okanagan cuisine and culture.”
On the list of activities this year are the parade of wineries, the popular grape stomping competition, eight wineries with food pairings prepared on site, over 50 Okanagan wineries, 15 food vendors, 60 trade vendors, live entertainment with the Paperboys, a petting zoo with activities, indoor art show.
The Paperboys are a Canadian based genre-bending band.
They have received a Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album of the Year and Juno Award nominations for the three of their albums.
Amongst their other awards are two West Coast Music Awards for Best Roots Recording and three more nominations in that category. They have also been nominated for a Genie Award.
Festival of the Grape is held annually at the Oliver Recreation Centre to celebrate the grape harvest in the Okanagan Valley. It was originally launched in 1997 and has continued to thrive and grow each year.
Organized by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of volunteers, the event allows people to sample wines from local wineries and taste the best Okanagan cuisine from innovative local chefs and local food vendors.
This event is smoke free and pet free. There is free parking and shuttles are available.
Tickets for Festival of the Grape, taking place Oct. 5 from noon to 5 p.m., can be purchased in Penticton at the B.C. Wine Info Centre, in Oliver at the Shopper’s Drug Mart, Imperial Office Pro and the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce.
To purchase online through PayPal visit www.sochamber.ca. Advance tickets are $23 or they can be purchased on the date at the door for $25.
Kids under 18 are allowed in for free.
