Penticton is also a city of events and festivals. Indeed, in the summer there is rarely a time when there isn't some sort of festival going on. Dates and venues can change from year to year, check the websites for current information. A brief survey of the major festivals includes:
Okanagan Fest-of-Ale(early April). This two day festival pairs local breweries with local restaurants to show off their wares alongside live entertainment. Hundreds of locals volunteer for the free beer.
Penticton Elvis Festival (Late June). Despised by some of the locals, and criticized due to prohibitive costs, this festival brings the best of the best of Elvis impersonators to town. Some free events.
Peach City Beach Cruise (late June). This crowd favorite brings over 400 hot-rods and classic cars from all over North America to Lakeshore Drive. The road is closed to normal traffic allowing close up views of the cars. At night some of the drivers put on a smoke show to the delight of the crowd, though police seem to be cracking down on this lately. Lasts three days.
Penticton Highland Games (early July). Come watch the caber toss and other heavy events accompanied by traditional Scottish pipes, drumming, and dancing. If you have what it takes you can register and compete.
Beach Blanket Film Festival (late July). This unique festival invites people to lay down a blanket on the beach, bring a picnic and watch films on a floating screen in Okanagan Lake.
Peachfest (August). Long since stripped of its 'party get drunk' image of the past, Peachfest is now an event to be enjoyed by the entire family. Includes arts/crafts exhibits, food and drink, live entertainment, parades, fireworks and much more.
Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival (mid September). Various venues host live Dixieland, Jive, Swing, and other forms of Jazz music.
Okanagan Fall Wine Festival (September-October). More of an 'Okanagan' festival than a Penticton one. Many wine-diner pairings featuring local wineries and restaurants, stretching from Osoyoos (at the US/Canada border) to Vernon at the northern end of Lake Okanagan. Several of these take place in Penticton.
Okanagan Pirate Party (July-August). Also, more of an 'Okanagan' festival than a Penticton one. A great annual festival devoted to all things pirate. Be prepared to spend a good day on the hunt for treasure!
Sailboats on Okanagan Lake
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Penticton
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Penticton - updated May 2024
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Penticton Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
