A new winter festival is coming to Salmon Arm.
The two-day, family-friendly, free-to-attend Salmon Arm Winter Fun Fest will take place at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26 and 27, from 4 to 9 p.m.
The festival is a partnership between the Salmon Arm Fair and the Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake Agricultural Association. It will feature light displays, games and activities, live music, artisans and crafters, sleigh or wagon rides (depending on snow), a movie night and more.
Jim McEwan, fair manager, said he’d like to make the Winter Fun Fest an annual event. It actually wasn’t planned until the Fall Fair got cancelled. McEwan said he’s stubborn, and because he and the Fair’s board heard so many excited comments regarding the fall Fair’s return, he knew the Salmon Arm Fair needed to host an event this year.
Every event planned for the Winter Fun Fest so far could be held under current COVID-19 restrictions, said McEwan, with the exception of the Holiday Parade, which is planned for Nov. 27 at 3 p.m.
McEwan is still hopeful the parade will be able to run, and if it does, it will follow a similar route to the one the Salmon Arm Fair parade would have followed, heading downtown and back to the fairgrounds.
All events at Winter Fun Fest will be free, except for the Barn Bash, presented by Ian Gray’s Salmon Arm GM. The bash will feature live music from the Shawn Lightfoot Band, and the Goods Band from Armstrong.
For more information on the fair, McEwan said to check out salmonarmfair.com or the fair’s Facebook page.
“The past two years have been tough for everyone, and as we had to cancel the fair for the residents of Salmon Arm, we felt a fun family festival might brighten their spirit,” said McEwan. “We are aware the provincial health orders may force us to cancel the event, however, we are moving forward with plans for a safe celebration, and hope COVID-19 protocols at the time won’t put the event on ice.”
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