Family fun on the books for Pentictonites in May

"Four seasons of fun" is an ongoing collaboration between Castanet and Visit Penticton showcasing what Penticton has to offer all year round. Watch for it every Monday morning.

There’s no shortage of family-fun activities in and around the South Okanagan throughout the months of May and June.

The Ha Ha Ha Kidzfest returns for its second year of in-person family fun at Gyro Park from June 8 - 10.

With its inception in 2019, the Festival was unable to properly launch until 2022 (but showed its immensely creative side by delivering arts and crafts to children in school in 2021!), and is set to present this year what the society’s board chair Rachel Bland describes as “present world standard performing arts and participatory activities that are entertaining, educational and accessible to children from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds.”

“We believe it is important to invest in the children and youth of the South Okanagan Community and one way we invest in them is through this annual festival,” she said.

“To provide an experience to families and children where memories are made and provide an opportunity to stretch the minds and imaginations of children and even adults at times. To show them what they might have thought was impossible is indeed possible and that they themselves have potential to reach the stars.”

Bland said the society was formed after a previous organization that hosted children’s festivals dissolved in 2014, and there became a “gap in presenting arts and culture programming specifically in this format for children.”

“A few key community members noticed this gap in the community and sought to find people who would build this experience back up in the community,” said Bkland. “(It’s) closely based on the original concept of the International Children's Festival but with a brand new board with brand new ideas. And it was such a success and received so strongly last year that we knew we were coming back this year and for many more years to come.”

Welcoming over approximately 1,000 people daily, this year’s theme is “Imagination in Motion,” and will feature a variety of on-stage performances such as live music, as well as arts and cultural activities, circus performances, face painting, an Indigenous Village and a Tiny Town.

“The Indigenous Village (is) put on by the Penticton Indian Band where you can enjoy Powwow dancing, storytelling inside teepees, Indigenous games and more cultural experiences,” said Bland. “(It) was definitely a favourite from last year. With so many hands on experiences in the village … it is a wonderful atmosphere and so much fun for the kids.”

Tiny Town is a mostly free play area geared towards children ages five and under.

And new to this year’s festival is the Workshop Zone, hosted in the outdoor hockey rink next to Gyro Park.

Attendance has been capped this year as last year saw long lineups, so those interested are encouraged to snag tickets online at hahahakidzfest.com or at the gate on the day of.

The Meadowlark Nature Festival is also in full swing this year, launching on May 18 and running until May 22 with a variety of nature-inspired workshops and events including hiking, cycling, canoeing, bird watching art walks, film screenings and more.

“We have a stock of regular favourite tours this year and about 10 new ones,” said program coordinator Paul Lockington. “Hiking and biking, paddling and riding. Not everything is outdoors but most are. We have a focus on nature, but also look at traditional culture and historical tours as well.”

Returning favourites include Birds of the South Okanagan Bust Tour and his cycling tour hosted by Richard Cannings, the two astronomy tours hosted by Jack and Alice Newton in Osoyoos and the Voyageur Canoe Trip at Vaseux Lake.

The festival has been running in the South Okanagan since 1998.

“Looking at the very big picture, we are trying to save the planet,” explained Lockington.

“Small steps involve educating people about the natural world.. If they know about it, they will pay a little more attention. If they pay a little more attention they will care, and with care, comes action. We try to educate but learning is harder if it isn’t fun. So we try to make it entertaining as well as educational and we try to do it with exercise which stimulates the brain so people can learn more and retain it longer. Education, entertainment, and exercise.”

The festival hosts 50 tours and accepts on average 25 people per tour, with tickets already on sale but selling out fast.

It’s fun for the whole family, with kids tickets priced at $5 and still available for some tours.

Lockington commends the local and provincial government, as well as corporate sponsors, but also the festival’s volunteers, who he says makes the festival a success.

“Our tour leaders are scientists and educators who take the first long weekend of the season and give it to the public to encourage a love of nature,” he explained.

“The volunteers help each tour leader make the tours fun and safe. These contributions are pretty special to me. We would not have a festival without them.”

For more information and to grab tickets, visit https://meadowlarkfestival.ca/

And for thrill seekers, Expedition Canada, organized by Hoodoo Adventures in Penticton, is launching on May 23 and runs until May 29.

The six-day event features teams of four that will race through trekking, mountain biking, trail running and a variety of other exciting adventures, unsupported, on the 580 kilometre course.

Details of the course are only revealed hours before the actual race is set to begin to each team, with experienced teams expected to finish in four days, with six days a provided option for less experienced individuals.

Teams carry tracking devices so friends and family can watch with live updates and highlight videos and pictures will be posted daily on social media channels.

Entries are open now and for more information, visit expeditionracecanada.ca

For more Penticton fun, click here.