Penticton’s premier arts and culture celebration, Ignite the Arts, kicks off its festival weekend in style with a parade on March 29.
After a week of community events at venues across the city, the next three days are set to be filled with more performances than can be fit on a single page.
The weekend starts at the Elks Hall on Ellis Street in Penticton with three events that are free to the public.
The Penticton Dachshund Lovers will be holding a costume contest from 5 to 6 p.m., and then the big parade kicks off.
READ MORE: Here’s what’s ‘hop-pening’ this weekend in Penticton
The Parade for No Reason features dozens of performers, including band Balkan Shmalkan and the Jack family of hand drummers, and it will wind its way through the streets before returning to the Elks Hall.
A highlight of the two previous Ignite the Arts festivals, the parade’s organizers are promising several surprises during this year’s event.
The parade leaves the hall at 6 p.m. and is set to return with the performers to put on a show until 7:30 p.m. After that, head inside for a free show with Juno Award-winner Al Simmons.
More than 70 performers, some part of multiple bands or groups, will take over 10 different stages across downtown Penticton this weekend.
On Friday, the other four venues that will be open starting at 8 p.m. include the upstairs stage at the Elks Hall, the Dream Cafe on Front Street, Legacy Den on Main Street and the Brit Bar on Nanaimo Avenue.
The five venues on Friday are joined by four more on Saturday, March 30. The Penticton Art Gallery will be hosting free events starting at 11 a.m., including a beading workshop with the Jack family at noon.
Cannery Brewing and Highway 97 Brewing on Ellis Street, as well as the Tempest Theatre on Eckhardt Avenue will have events starting between 11 a.m. and noon.
Finally, on Sunday, March 30, events kick off between 11 a.m. and noon across nine of the venues. The sole event at Brit Bar will be karaoke starting at 8 p.m.
An afterparty for the festival is set to be held at The Hub on Martin Street starting at 7 p.m.
In addition to the free events hosted at the Penticton Art Gallery on March 30 and 31, Slackwater Brewing will be holding a free Conroy Ross concert on March 30, starting at 8 p.m. and on March 31, Cannery Brewing will host a free concert with LonelyCompany from 6 p.m. to 8.
The full schedule of performances, including start times and locations, is available online at IgniteTheArts.ca. Day and weekend passes are also available on the festival’s website, with wristbands available for pick up at the Elks Hall.