By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle

Osoyoos will be treated to a new festival this year with the first-ever Osoyoos Spring Festival from May 4-8 featuring free and ticketed music performances.

Presented by the Osoyoos & District Arts Council (ODAC), the event is modelled after the Festival of Small Halls which originated in Prince Edward Island and successfully replicated in Ontario and Australia.

The Town of Osoyoos has kicked in a $10,000 grant as part of its support for several local festivals in 2022. The funding comes through the province’s Resort Municipality Initiative, which goes toward non-profit groups organizing events that help improve local and visitors’ experiences by increasing visitation, investment and employment in the community.

Part of the attraction of holding the event here, according to ODAC Board Liason, Earl Krushelnicki, is that it helps to nibble away at the off-peak season and woo visitors to the area slightly earlier than normal.

He’s already checked out the long-range weather prognosis and points to average high temperatures in May of nearly 22° celsius.

“Osoyoos is a resort destination and the summer season begins after the May long weekend. It is hoped that our event will not only draw people to our area earlier but also will help bring our community together to celebrate the arts in Osoyoos and district,” he said.

The core of the festival will see seven ticketed evening performances held at various small venues around town alongside free daytime performances by local and regional artists.

Krushelnicki highlights that Osoyoos actually has quite a lot of small venues – roughly a dozen – with this event tapping four of those, including the Elk’s Lodge, Senora Community Centre, Community (OSS) Theatre and Osoyoos Senior Centre.

The lineup of performers includes:

  • folk and roots music Pharis & Jason Romero
  • Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne and Russell Jackson
  • country music performer Joey Only
  • indie rockers, the Yule Brothers Band
  • bluegrass band Jackson Hollow
  • vintage jazz band MAD Jazz Live
  • rockabilly band Cousin Harley

Side events by the art galleries and possibly other arts groups will help create a larger downtown festival environment, Krushelnicki says.

The arts council will also be reaching out to restaurants and cafes in the downtown area to see how they can participate. “We would like to support the local restaurants as much as possible, that’s why we’re doing it downtown,” he says.

The free events will possibly be held in the area of the pedestrian plaza next at 85th and Main St. or at the Gyro Park bandshell.

Krushelnicki, who is no stranger to organizing festivals, is aiming to break even with this nascent festival. “We want to break even,” even though “most festivals don’t break even in their first year,” he said.

“I’m really appreciative of the fact the town gave us the $10,000 that we asked for. We didn’t ask for any more than that and they gave us a full grant.” This he says, will cover about one-third of the total budget. The remainder will be made up from ticket sales, sponsorship, program advertising and ODAC will be kicking in $6-8,000 from its budget.

Tickets for the evening shows are $30 and are available online at osoyoosartscouncil.com starting Feb. 7.

All COVID-19 safety protocols in effect at the time of each concert will be strictly enforced including vaccination passports.