OLIVER – After a difficult summer for south Okanagan businesses impacted by wildfire smoke, Sunday marked an opportunity for thousands of people to come together and celebrate one of the things the Okanagan is best known for: wine.
The Festival of the Grape (FoG) is the biggest event of the year in Oliver. It’s an opportunity for thousands of tourists and locals alike to celebrate the grape harvest in the valley. However, this year’s festival also comes at a time that marks the end of what was a very difficult summer for south Okanagan wineries, residents and businesses.
READ MORE: By the numbers: Breakdown of the Okanagan fire season
“It’s certainly been an issue this year with having those wildfires in the area,” says Josh Pomerleau with Nk’Mip Winery. “We were quite smoky for about a solid week so that’s had a drastic effect on the season.”
The south Okanagan Chamber of Commerce president says that’s what makes this year’s festival extra special.
“It’s really great, it gives [businesses] a way to expand their season a little bit,” says Brian Highley.
Normally things are fairly quiet at the Olive Community Centre the night before the event but that wasn’t the case Saturday night. For the first time, the night FoG was held there.
“Because this day has become so big, we tried to expand it into a weekend event so [Saturday] night we featured our local breweries, siderites and distilleries,” says Highley.
After an overnight transformation, the park was ready for the day time festivities on Sunday. With 50 wineries on hand, dozens of art and craft vendors, food trucks, live music and an activity zone for kids, there was something for everyone.
WATCH: Did smoke affect this year’s vintage?
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