For the first time ever, the Kelowna Pride Festival will be extended to a full month of celebrations in 2025, taking place from May 30 to June 30. This year's event also marks the 20-year anniversary of Pride in the Okanagan.  


Kelowna Pride Festival 2025

This year’s theme, “Rise and Resist”, highlights that Pride is both a celebration and a protest. It calls on the community and allies to reflect, and advocate in a region where 2SLGBTQQIA+ voices have often been marginalized. Kelowna Pride invites community members, allies, and media to attend events, volunteer, and share support on social media to support this essential space for joyful expression, visibility, and advocacy.

“The theme ‘Rise and Resist’ is a rallying cry," says Co-Vice President of the Kelowna Pride Society, Candace Banks. "It’s about celebrating who we are, remembering where we’ve been, and committing to the work still ahead — to ensure that everyone in our community is seen, safe, and supported.”

Kelowna Pride Month will kick off on May 30 with Kelowna’s Next Drag Superstar at Red Bird Brewing, followed by the Kelowna Pride March and Festival on May 31 in City Park. The Fruitcake Official Kelowna Pride Afterparty, hosted at Red Bird Brewing on May 31, will feature well-known Canadian artist, Bif Naked, as the headliner.

Visit the Kelowna Pride Festival website for a full list of the month's events. 

Kelowna Pride Festival 2025 - Ad


Supporting the Okanagan's 2SLGBTQIA+ Community 

Our organization continues to support the event as a destination partner, which includes publishing content about Kelowna Pride Festival on the #exploreKelowna blog. As in years past, our Community & Visitor Engagement team will have a booth set up at the Festival in City Park. 

In 2022, after working together for several years, Kelowna Pride and Tourism Kelowna signed a Memorandum of Understanding to officially continue their work supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Through awareness, education, and promotion, the two organizations work together to:

  • attract more visitors from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to positively impact the local economy year-round.
  • increase participation and support of events that positively contribute to the visitor experience and quality of life of residents.
  • educate residents and visitors on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, as well as, the importance of supporting businesses within the community.

Tourism Kelowna—a proud member of the CGLCC's (Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Chamber of Commerce) Rainbow Registered program—also supports this work through Travelling Out in the Thompson Okanagan (TOTO). This collaborative initiative was launched in 2023 by Tourism Kamloops, Tourism Vernon, Tourism Kelowna, Visit Penticton, and Destination Osoyoos, with support from Destination British Columbia, to spread the word about safe and welcoming travel experiences in the region. 


About Kelowna Pride Festival

The Kelowna Pride Festival is the largest celebration of 2SLGBTQQIA+ pride and inclusion in the Interior of British Columbia. From its beginnings in 1996 to the formal incorporation of the (Okanagan) Kelowna Pride Society in 2004, the event has grown into a vital, regional expression of diversity, resilience, and joy. Kelowna Pride welcomes thousands of attendees each year, showcasing the vibrancy of the community and reinforcing a shared commitment to safe, welcoming spaces for all.