It was the spring of 2022.
Photo Credit: Gord GobleIgnite founders Julie and Paul Crawford
The world was still recovering from a pandemic. And here in Penticton, locals tried to wrap their heads around the heretofore untested concept of a multi-day off-season celebration of arts and music.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
It was called Ignite the Arts.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Ultimately, the results were…middling. There was interest, but several events were sparsely attended. The number of musical/performance acts hovered in the single digits. And the inaugural Parade for No Reason, a wacky procession where attendees are the participants, pulled in just three dozen people tops.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Nevertheless, co-organizers Julie Fowler and hubby Paul Crawford, the former the co-creator of Wells, B.C.'s "ArtsWells Festival" and the latter the curator of the Penticton Art Gallery, believed. And they pushed on.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
On a financial shoestring, the event would continue.
And now, three years later, Ignite has stealthily morphed into one of the city's coolest shoulder-season happenings.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
That status was emphasized this past weekend with iteration number five, a 48-hour smorgasbord of song and performance that kept a bunch of downtown venues hopping throughout and even created a buzz on the terminally sleepy non-summer Penticton sidewalks.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
The 2026 event launched Friday evening with the fifth annual Parade for No Reason. Only now it’s become one of the hippest spectacles of the entire year.
Three hundred-plus folks joined in, many dressed in elaborate costumes as they strolled north then south along the busiest part of Main Street, which, for the first time ever, was closed to traffic for the parade's duration.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Leading the charge, as always, was Vancouver-based dance band Balkan Shmalken. BS knows how to party while they play, and that's what makes them an Ignite staple.
Never has Parade for No Reason attracted so many, and that's due in no small part to a local collective calling itself the Penticton Puppet Brigade.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Founded in 2023 by resident Geoff Orr, an Ignite devotee who felt the parade needed a little more pizzazz, the Brigade facilitates the DIY construction of enormous, wearable puppets.
This year, a pack of puppets populated the parade, many towering over the human-sized participants.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
More than that though, the steadily increasing puppet presence has seemingly inspired others to create their own getups and take a walk on their own wild side. Today, the Parade for No Reason is a phenomenally fresh freak show.
But the slickest Ignite innovation was the new-for-'26 event app.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Created by Android developer and fan of BC's Shambhala Music Festival Ben Abramovitch, "Dancing Decibels" proved its worth throughout.
No longer were attendees forced to unfold crumpled printed schedules or navigate clumsy interfaces. The app made it a breeze to determine where to go next.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
And there were so many choices.
Herald favourites this year included Shane Koyczan's set Saturday night at an absolutely packed Hub on Martin.
Photo Credit: Gord GobleShane Koyczan
Koyczan, a spoken work artist born in Yellowknife but living his youth in Penticton, is a global sensation – tens of millions of YouTube views – and one of the biggest names the event has ever secured.
And his set Saturday proved why. Koyczan can be funny and his sincerity is obvious. But his biggest strength is his power. His words build, like an Eminem track. And you can’t help but be spellbound.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Later, Koyczan, who's now off to Europe, told us he performs only rarely in Penticton and area.
"Maybe once a year," he said. "But this time I did it because my friends Paul and Julie asked."
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Following Koyczan on the Hub stage was up and coming metal-meets-grunge trio Freeze the Fall, a band with its own YouTube following.
Hailing from Kelowna, Freeze has been playing together for years even though none of them have hit their 20th birthday.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Their sound is alternately delicate and crushing. And yes, credibly tuneful. But also credibly loud.
The surprise of the weekend may well have come Saturday night at Highway 97 Brewery, when funk/fusion band Chopping Spree!, formed just a couple years ago in Vancouver by a bunch of young dudes who also happen to be extraordinary musicians, tore the walls off the place.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Think extended, exquisitely groove-laden jams topped off by a heaping helping of crazy. Then just when you think the whole thing might implode, they bring it back down and the dancing continues.
Chopping Spree! is precisely the type of experience Ignite the Arts happily exploits – an act with tons to offer that hasn’t yet made it to the upper echelon and the higher ticket prices.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
But not every performer was sub-25. And leading the mature charge was 79-year-old music legend Fred Penner.
Penner played twice at this year's event, each time attracting more adults than kids. He also hosted an adult songwriting camp that ended with a student showcase Friday night at Cannery Brewing.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Festival fan and Highway 97 co-owner John Kapusty stood on his venue's patio Sunday afternoon as Balkan Shmalken filled every seat and every square foot of floor space.
"Ignite the Arts does more for our businesses in three days than an event like Ironman did in a week," he said bluntly.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Kapusty first offered his venue to the festival last year and says he wished he'd done it earlier.
"I'm shocked at the impact it's had on our community," he said. "This is Mardi Gras in its infancy. This is a culture that Penticton needs to develop more and more."
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Joining Kapusty on the patio was Britbar owner Martyn Lewis. Also an Ignite venue, Britbar hosted numerous spots in 2026, including a riotous game of "drag bingo" and an emotion-packed set from Vancouver indie rockers Orchid Orchestra.
"I've been part of Ignite since year three," he said. "I was at the first event as a patron and I was blown away. I've felt from the start that this is the best event in Penticton. I’d have it every weekend if I could."
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
For organizers Fowler and Crawford, who popped in and out of virtually everything all weekend long, 2026 was a pivotal year.
Primary performance venue The Dream Café was shuttered last fall (though it may still be revived) and after nearly two decades at the helm, Crawford was no longer the curator at PAG.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
But the pair soldiered on and ultimately were rewarded with a potentially landmark edition.
"In spite of the transition from last year," said Crawford, "the festival was more successful than it's ever been. We had approximately 30 percent more ticket sales this year than last, and the momentum continued to grow like a snowball rolling down the hill.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
"And it's consistent. Growth is incremental but consistent over all five years. It's a testament to the community for getting behind it."
Both admit the event has become more about music and performance and less about "art."
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
"I don’t have the Gallery as a platform now," said Crawford. "Though we’d love to bring in more public art like murals and maybe temporary sculptures, but they all come with their own set of challenges."
Fowler believes the "arts" label needs to stay.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
"We don’t really want to promote it as a party," she said. "We want to attract people who are a bit more curious, people whose ears perk up at the idea of culture, music and arts."
And yes, Crawford maintains, Ignite will be back for 2027.
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
"I think people are starting to understand what we're trying to do here," he said. "They see the potential. They want a more vibrant, connected, inspired community.
"And one hundred percent we'll be back. And it'll be bigger and better. Whatever you experienced this year, that's just the hors d'oeuvres for what comes next."
Photo Credit: Gord Goble
Early bird tix for the 2027 edition of Ignite the Arts will be available in September.
