Due to the heavy rain Friday morning, a popular Kelowna festival was cancelled for the day.
The Fat Cat Children’s Festival was slated to begin on Friday but was cancelled due to poor weather and safety reasons, according to festival organizer Dorothee Birker.
Birker says the decision to cancel the festival was made at 7:30 a.m., when there were heavy rains and fears of thunderstorms.
“They always say the show needs to go on but for bravado, I couldn’t risk the kids,” Birker said.
Though the weather had cleared up by mid-morning, Birker says organizers could not take that risk.
“We’re dealing with electricity, with performers that are here and kids running through the area, it was really a safety issue,” she said.
Booths, food trucks and a stage on the beach sat empty for the day. Families tell CHBC News that they were disappointed to hear the festival had been cancelled for Friday.
“It’s a shame because it’s so sunny out that it did not happen but that’s alright. We are still having fun,” one mother said.
“Things happen. We’ll try again tomorrow,” another woman said.
The festival is slated to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, however that may change depending on the weather.
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Birker says organizers will keep an eye on the skies to see what the weather is like early Saturday morning before they make a decision.
The festival is anticipating some revenue loss with the Friday cancellation but Birker says fortunately organizers set aside a rainy day fund.
“Nobody will be out any money because we weren’t able to run the show today. We will be able to meet all of our obligations,” she said.
If the festival does go as scheduled on Saturday, some traffic delays can be expected along the parade route. On-street parking will also be restricted.
Below is a list of closures for Saturday:
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be restricted access on Martin Avenue and Lawson Avenue from Richter Street to Ethel Street. Richter Street will also have restricted access from Bernard Avenue to Doyle Avenue.
The Waterfront Park parking lot will be closed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
From 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Bernard Avenue will have rolling closures from Richter Street to Water Street and Water Street will have rolling closures from Bernard Avenue to Clement Avenue.
The Water Street Boat Launch will be closed from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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