News

“Viva Las Pride” Canada’s First LGBT Wine Festival to Highlight BC Wine at Okanagan Pride Festival

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA - AUGUST 12, 2013: The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and the Okanagan Pride Society are delighted to announce that British Columbia wine will be highlighted at this year’s Okanagan Pride Festival with “Viva Las Pride”. A first in Canada, this fun and educational wine tasting will be in a Vegas style setting on Friday August 16, 7-9:30 pm at the Laurel Packinghouse in Kelowna. In addition to enjoying a wine tasting, attendees will be able to play blackjack and poker for chances to win great prizes while being entertained by go go boys, burlesque dancers and lively music. Proceeds will go toward funding ongoing Pride Society programs, including a new youth program called Etcetera.

Wilbur Turner, President, Okanagan Pride Society stated, “Pride tourism has a multi-million dollar economic impact across North America. Events in large cities such as Vancouver and Toronto attract hundreds of thousands of attendees and while Kelowna is a smaller centre, we see it as being a destination Pride Festival due to the draw of wineries, beaches, and attractive summer playground activities. We are excited to launch Viva Las Pride as part of a Wine and Pride package that will appeal to locals as well as Pride tourists."

“BC wine and the Okanagan Pride Festival are a natural pairing; the LGBT community are affluent wine enthusiasts who consume adult beverages in much greater frequency than the general population,” said Blair Baldwin, General Manager, Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. “We’re thrilled to have local wine featured so prominently in this year’s Pride Festival. Given the tremendous popularity of a similar festival in Sonoma, we’re hoping to build a comparable following with Pride tourists from across North America here in Kelowna.”

“The wineries of the Okanagan Wine Festivals are certainly looking forward to this innovative event,” said Judi Skinner, Board Member of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and Sales and Marketing Manager of Dirty Laundry Vineyard. “We think it’s important to ensure Pride tourism is recognized and besides - they love BC wines!”

Viva Las Pride will feature 24 member wineries of the Okanagan Wine Festivals pouring fresh summer wines while guests can enjoy a Las Vegas themed night aided by Lake City Casinos along with a burlesque show, DJs and eye candy ticket sellers. The wineries include: Blasted Church Vineyards, Castoro de Oro Estate Winery, Desert Hills Estate Winery, Dirty Laundry Vineyard, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Hidden Chapel Winery, House of Rose Winery, La Frenz Winery, Little Straw Vineyards, Misconduct Wine Co, Monster Vineyards, Moon Curser Vineyards, Oliver Twist Estate Winery, Perseus Winery & Vineyards, Poplar Grove Winery, Road 13 Vineyards, See Ya Later Ranch, Silkscarf Winery, Silver Sage Winery, St Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, The Vibrant Vine, and The View Winery.

Tickets for Viva Las Pride are on sale at www.selectyourtickets.com or 250.717.5304.  Admission is $25 with wine samples available to purchase at the event. This is a Safe Ride Home Event sponsored by Valley First Insurance and the British Columbia Liquor Stores. Following Viva Las Pride will be a spectacular after-party drag competition and show, with local and internationally renowned judges.  For more information on Viva Las Pride please visit www.thewinefestivals.com or www.okanaganprice.com.

About Okanagan Wine Festivals Society

The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society is responsible for the development of the wine tourism sector in the interior of British Columbia. It is well known for producing two annual valley Okanagan Wine Festivals in spring to celebrate the bud break and in fall to celebrate the grape harvest. Its Winter Okanagan Wine Festival is run in partnership with Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops. It is also responsible for Signature Wine Events and two annual wine judging competitions. www.thewinefestivals.com

About the Okanagan Pride Society

We are a non-profit organization committed to serving the Okanagan's LGBTQ community. We create events and offer programs to connect our community. The organization depends on volunteers, membership, sponsorship and patronage to thrive, and we are grateful for the support we are receiving from the community. We host the popular annual Okanagan Pride Festival which draws visitors from throughout the Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada, and the United States.  www.okanaganpride.com

For media inquiries, please contact:

Wilbur Turner, President, Okanagan Pride Society

[email protected] / 250 317 3621

Lori Pike-Raffan, Public Relations Director, Okanagan Wine Festivals Society

[email protected] / 604.808.6655