Peachland’s Canada Day festivities this year are on hold, thanks to the extreme heat.
With forecasts of up to 37 C on July 1, the pop-up parade and outdoor neighbourhood concerts have been cancelled.
The festivities were organized by the Peachland Chamber of Commerce and the district. The chamber’s executive director Patrick Van Minsel said the heatwave was just too much.
“For the safety of our performers, we’ve decided to cancel the Canada Day plans. It’s too dangerous for their health,” he said.
This means no Canada Day festivities will happen in Peachland, with Van Minsel saying it’s too late to plan for a backup celebration.
“There will be a few activities in the morning for the children but if it gets too hot outside, we’ll move that into the community centre. But for the rest of the day, there’s nothing going on for Peachland.
“We did decide that we’ll replace Canada Day plans, but for later in the summer.”
Van Minsel said festivities will instead be moved for the Labour Day weekend in September, with plans for a public family event to be held at a park instead.
He said residents have been very understanding.
“It’s unfortunate and we were looking forward to it, but safety comes first. You cannot play around with health,” he said.
Last year, Peachland also put together outdoor pop-up concerts in neighbourhoods at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide residents with a way to celebrate without putting themselves at risk.
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