Sunday, September 30th, 2018 12pm - 5pm
Canada’s Wine Capital, Oliver BC, is home to Festival of the Grape, the premiere family-friendly event during Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. The Festival attracts over 4,500 attendees annually who come to sample a variety of BC wines, dance to live music, and cheer on the fun and chaotic grape stomp. In addition, there are mouth-watering food trucks, an interactive Kids Zone, an artisan Merchant Market and the Fall Art Show and Sale.
As Canada’s Wine Capital, Oliver produces more than 50% of all wine grapes in BC giving us reason to celebrate. The Festival welcomes over 50 wineries from around BC to sample their amazing wines from this fantastic little fruit.
CRUSH IT!!! Get your team of 3 together dress in a crazy costume and compete in the annual Grape Stomp and squish your way to victory. This cornerstone of the Festival is hosted by Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country.
Where there is wine, there is food. The Festival welcomes over a dozen food trucks with specialities from around the world. From tacos to Thai, gyros to gelato, and barbeque to donuts and ice cream there is something for every taste.
There is fun for the whole family at the Festival. Bring the kids to the interactive Kids Zone with inflatables, face painting, games and more.
If shopping is your thing, the Merchant Market has over 60 vendors selling artisan items from wine-barrel woodwork to hand-painted wineglasses, locally-roasted coffee to artisan breads, jewelry to clothing and so much more.
Take in some beautiful art as you wine. The Oliver Community Arts Council offers their annual Fall Art Show & Sale right on the Festival grounds, showcasing spectacular works in a variety of mediums.
Big Easy Funk Ensemble
The Big Easy Funk Ensemble celebrates the amazing variety of music that has grown out of New Orleans. With influences from 60’s/70’s funk legends The Meters, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John to more recent groups like Galactic and Trombone Shorty. BEFE (pronounced 'beefy') mixes many genres of funk, jazz, rock and blues to create infectious grooves. The 9-member band includes a 3-piece horn section comprised of Andrew Benton (Sax), Kevin Tang (Trombone) and Ryan Naso (Trumpet). The rhythm section includes Reece Worth on guitar, Eric Stephenson on bass, Tyler Gibson on keyboards/organ, Ryan Davis on drums, Jeffrey Kornblum on Percussion and last but not least the mesmerizing Chris Berry on Vocals.
A Mardi Gras party in 2014 brought the band together for the first time and by the end of the show both the musicians and the audience knew that this group had to continue. Four years and many shows later, BEFE has developed a repertoire of originals and songs covering a wide range of NOLA talent from Louis Armstrong to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to Allen Toussaint to the Pimps of Joytime and Neville Brothers.
The Big Easy Funk Ensemble is fast becoming one of Vancouver BC’s preeminent party bands by attracting fans and stimulating dance floors. Don’t miss their next show at a party near you!
Gallery
Presented by the Oliver Tourism Associatiom
Festival of the Grape COPYRIGHT © 2018. www.oliverfestivalofthegrape.ca