Kelowna’s outstanding food and beverage culture and vibrant culinary scene could soon be part of a network of cities around the world celebrated for creativity and innovation.
The City of Kelowna, in partnership with Tourism Kelowna and Okanagan College, has accepted an invitation to apply for designation as Canada's first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) established the Creative Cities Network in 2004, to celebrate the impact and importance of culture around the world. As of 2024, over 350 cities around the world participate in this network. Cities can be designated in seven creative fields: Craft & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
Every two years, cities worldwide are invited to apply to the Creative Cities Network. In Canada, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO is responsible for nominating up to two cities for consideration. Kelowna has proudly been chosen as one of Canada’s nominees and has been invited to pursue the prestigious designation of a City of Gastronomy in 2025.
Kelowna would become Canada's first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Potential outcomes of the designation could bring:
This designation represents a transformative opportunity for Kelowna and the entire Okanagan Valley, cementing our place on the world stage as a culinary destination.
The application to the Creative Cities Network will be submitted at the end of February 2025, and UNESCO will announce new designations later in the year.
RSVP to the upcoming event on January 29, 2025, to learn about Kelowna's application to become a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and how you can engage with and support this application.
Here's a little taste of Kelowna from locals and visitors. Where farms, orchards, vineyards, and innovative kitchens come together to create a chef's playground and a foodie’s paradise. Use #exploreKelowna while you sip, savour, and taste your way through Kelowna.
Tourism Kelowna would like to thank Westbank First Nation and Okanagan Indian Band for the privilege to live, work, and play on the tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ (land), that is the unceded and traditional territory of syilx Okanagan peoples, the original stewards of these lands and to whom we give thanks to as our hosts