Floats of all types cruised through Westbank on Saturday morning, with hundreds of people lining the streets for West Kelowna’s annual Westside Daze parade.
From old vehicles to new, marching bagpipers, a Zamboni, fire trucks plus floats from the city, Westbank First Nation, neighbouring communities and many more, the parade was a variety-filled event.
“The parade brings the community together,” said Heather Clifton of Westside Daze. “It brings floats in from all over the Okanagan, from White Rock, from Kamloops. We’ve had representation from all over the province.”
A staple at the parade is the free distribution of candy to children along the route.
One youth, Cailex Pynappels, said his favourite parts of the parade were “probably the candy and hanging out with my friends and family.”
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Another youth, Lux Naka, said his favourite part of the parade was the West Kelowna Warriors float because he likes hockey.
Kendra Burnet said her favourite parts of the parade were the fire trucks, because they spray people with water in the wet zone, and the free candy.
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Karlynn Schoene, who attended the parade along with her son, Conor, said her highlight was “watching the kids, seeing how excited they are.”
“They know lots of people in the parade and in the community, and they get quite excited when they see people they know.”
“And,” added Conor, “sometimes we get to go into the parade.”
“It’s always really good,” said Karlynn. “The kids have a great time.”
Westside Daze, which started Friday, wraps up Sunday.
For more about Westside Daze, including its busy schedule, click here.