The Penticton-based Meadowlark Nature Festival will be back this year to mark its 25th anniversary edition.
The festival brings together nature lovers to celebrate the unique environment of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. Typical activities include canoe trips, guided hikes, bird-watching tours, horseback riding, and more. The festival also includes educational programs on local wildlife, nature conservation, and Indigenous culture. The 2023 edition’s featured speaker will be Suzanne Simard, author of the book Finding the Mother Tree. Visual artist Stephanie Perry’s work will also be featured throughout the event, including an image of the eponymous Meadowlark in festival poster printing.
The Meadowlark Festival will stretch over five days with 48 different tours, workshops and other events. Tour titles include “Naramata History Walking Tour”, “Vaseux Lake Voyageur Canoe Tour”, and “The Kitchen Sink Hike.” There will also be workshops and seminars covering topics ranging from printmaking to local endangered species. Each event will have its own price and ticketing. Promotional material emphasizes how the festival benefits area tourism:
“The Festival helps to spotlight the Okanagan Similkameen as a major tourism destination in general and also offers insight and information about more specific locations that are of interest to eco-tourists, artists, birders, outdoor sporting enthusiasts such as hikers, cyclists, canoeists and others.”
The 2023 edition of the Meadowlark Festival will take place around Penticton and the Okanagan Valley from May 18 to 22.
