Is it the most fun you can have in Penticton in the off-season?
We met a whole bunch of people in the past couple weeks who certainly think so.
It was the fourth edition of the welcome-to-spring celebration of music, art and sometimes straight-up weirdness known as Ignite the Arts. And it was nothing if not adventurous.
It was loud too.
And occasionally quiet.
It was exciting.
And then thoughtful.
It was young.
And a bit more...mature.
It was a party in the streets.
And in the clubs.
It was dancing.
And it was observational.
It was fiery.
And sometimes it was just a drag (king).
The 2025 iteration of Ignite the Arts booted up March 21 with the start of "Community Week," seven days of free and discounted local-centric events, and it finished off with the big kahuna, a three-day ticketed "Festival Weekend" that played out all over downtown.
PentictonNow made a few stops at the former and a whole bunch at the latter.
We joined in the "Parade for No Reason" a wacky community procession on night one of the Festival Weekend that saw upwards of 200 people, many in costumes or some manipulating giant puppets, make their way through downtown and along the waterfront.
We marveled once again at the thrilling fire-spinning routine that regularly follows the parade in the Elks Lodge parking lot. Kudos to locals Donnalee Davidson and Mark Eyjolfson for keeping us mesmerized as they've done in prior years.
We happily checked out the EDM/dubstep scene at Britbar with the likes of up and coming Vancouver-based musician/vocalist Shmani.
And we must have walked the stairs between floors at the Penticton Elks Lodge a couple dozen times over the weekend, catching acts upstairs and down each time we did.
From syrupy-thick power rock to Indigenous-flavoured hip-hop to country-fied fiddling, horn-driven big bands, Ecuadorian dancing and so much more, the Lodge was packed with tantalizing entertainment all three days. And nights.
We watched freewheeling performers like Jack Garton literally climb the furniture and the architecture at the Dream Café while belting out his own take on rockabilly/folk/rock.
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We joined a truly upbeat crowd Sunday at The Hub for an hour of wildly entertaining drag. And we're not talking drag queens, either. We're talking drag kings.
We stopped at the Penticton Art Gallery to listen to a 76-year-old dude named Paul Gibbons (stage name Garbanzo) play a North Indian classical flute called a bansuri. He was surrounded by an exhibit featuring the stunning works of his wife, Tsuneko Kokubo.
Earlier that day the two had performed at Tempest Theatre as part of a short but thought-provoking production called "Moving Theatre," notable mostly because it was a reunion (after 30 years!) of a once-famed Vancouver theatre troupe called "Snake in the Grass."
That sort of connectivity was found throughout the Festival. Take giant-sized Vancouver-based party band Balkan Shmalkan, for example.
Balkan has been a Festival fave since Ignite's 2021 inception. And every year its connection grows.
In 2025, Balkan members led the parade, as they've done since the beginning. They also played a couple shows as a full band, to standing room-only crowds.
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But that's not all. Many Balkanites sat in with other performers at shows across the festival. Several earnestly taught a "Balkan Dance Workshop" – while the band played – Sunday morning at the Elks Lodge.
And in between, you could catch most of them enjoying other Festival performances. Or grabbing a meal in the midst of the crowd.
It's that type of interactivity, and all those crowds, and that all-for-one attitude that makes event co-founder and co-organizer Paul Crawford smile.
Crawford, with wife and veteran festival organizer Julie Fowler, put Ignite together primarily to "build community and raise the profile of the Gallery."
"It shows the arts are not just a singular silo of anything," he said, "and instead that they're all interwoven and integrated.
"It’s really about helping people realize that the arts are for everybody and we all have a point of entry and access and we can all get together. It's not just music, it's not just visual arts. They’re all interwoven with each other."
Crawford admits that economic woes and pandemic hangovers have likely impacted event growth, but recognizes those issues are universal and is pleased with the way Ignite looks after four years.
"We sold over 250 tickets in our early bird period without mentioning a single act," he said. "Just based on our reputation. And we had great crowds on the ticketed weekend, people milling about outside venues and that sort of thing.
"And I think that's a pretty good testament to people starting to get what we're trying to do.
He's happy too with the levels of support he sees in the community and beyond.
"It’s a team," he said. "All the volunteers, all the funders, the City of Penticton, the Art Gallery board, the staff at the Gallery – they all play a role.
"It's about everybody. And the more we diversify that team of people, the greater chance this has to survive beyond my tenure here or that of the next person."
It was hard not to find praise for Crawford and Fowler's event his past weekend.
Some of that praise came from Ecuadorian immigrants Marie Soto and daughter Sara. Sara arrived in 2023 and began furthering her schooling, her mom arrived a year later.
They've both become constants on the Penticton event scene. And their English is improving every time we see them.
Beyond that, they’re long-time performers. And Sunday at the Elks Lodge, for the first time ever, they played out their routines for a Canadian audience.
Sara danced. Her mom danced and manipulated a puppet. The crowd went wild. And the Sotos, admittedly nervous in front of a new audience, loved every minute of it.
"It's amazing," said Marie of the Festival. "All cities have arts. It's very important for the connection with the people. So this festival is so important for everyone."
Equally psyched were Penticton residents Ron and Bernice Shorrock. Ron is 89. Bernice is 78.
Both participated in the parade. Both watched numerous bands and acts at a variety of venues. And both were there for the Sotos' performance.
"We try to get out as much as we can," said Ron, "and this has been fantastic. There's so much to see and do. We loved the parade. We've done it every year."
The Shorrock's highlight? A raucous, jam-packed performance Saturday night at Hwy 97 Brewing by "Blackberry Wood."
For more info on the Ignite the Arts Festival, which is due again just short of a year from now, turn here.
For more info on the Penticton Art Gallery and its current and upcoming exhibits and events, turn here.
