West Kelowna, BC – September 28, 2025 – The OCCA Communities Association hosted its annual Mid-Autumn Festival, drawing over 700 attendees for an afternoon of cultural performances, hands-on workshops, food, and family fun.
The festival opened with a territory welcome from Elder Llana Teichroeb, followed by a spectacular dragon and lion dance. Local dignitaries including Nicole Rustad on behalf of MP Stephen Fuhr, MLA Gavin Dew, Councillor Carol Zanon (Acting Mayor, West Kelowna), Councillor Rick Webber (Deputy Mayor, Kelowna) shared remarks recognizing the role of cultural celebrations in strengthening the Okanagan community.
This year’s festival was OCCA’s most diverse yet, with performances and cultural showcases spanning multiple continents. From African fashion and dance, to Philippine and to Egyptian, Chinese Kungfu, Persian, Taiwanese Indigenous, K-pop performances, and a multicultural fashion show, the event highlighted the beauty of global cultures coming together in one community celebration.
Festival-goers also explored the vibrant Chinese cultural booth featuring history, calligraphy, painting, and tea ceremony, alongside other multicultural booths highlighting Filipino, Nepalese, Japanese, and African traditions. Family-friendly activities included the Go game, cultural costume dress-up, face painting, ring toss, table hockey, a photo booth, and the lively Mooncake Lucky Dice Game. The celebration also included a silent auction and prize draws, creating additional opportunities for community engagement and excitement throughout the day.
Here in the Okanagan, the Mid-Autumn Festival reflects the region’s diversity and strength. This year’s celebration welcomed participants not only from across the Okanagan — including Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Penticton, Vernon, Lake Country, Salmon Arm, and Oliver — but also from Nelson, Kamloops, and Vancouver, showing how this festival continues to bring communities together far and wide.
Fei Liu, Executive Director of OCCA, emphasized the organization’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation, noting that the festival occurs near Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “We honour the Syilx Okanagan people, whose generosity and resilience guide us. Events like this remind us that celebrating culture and community also means acknowledging history and building an inclusive future together,” Liu said.
The day concluded with raffle draws, cultural performances, and closing remarks, leaving guests with memories of shared food, laughter, and cultural appreciation.
OCCA extends heartfelt thanks to our sponsors whose generosity made the festival possible: The Province of British Columbia, Grizzli Winery, Ancient Okanagan Alternatives, The Luxe Spa, McDonald’s, LVS Restaurant, Lisa Liang from Sun Life Insurance, Dragon King, Peter’s Your Independent Grocer, 24 HR Snacks, Super 8 Hotel Kelowna, ENZE Pro Havoc, Oakwyn Realty Judy Wang, InsureLine, and Dragon Spirit Taichi. Their support helped create a festival that brought joy, culture, and connection to hundreds of families across the Okanagan. OCCA would also like to thank the countless volunteers who worked diligently to make this festival a reality, as well as performers and community partners.
Elder Llana Teichroeb made Territory Welcome, Photo Credit: Shawn Gu
2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Ceremony, Photo Credit: Wax Pencil Event Photography
2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Ceremony Audience, Photo Credit: Jason Zhang
2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Group Photo 1, Photo Credit: Wax Pencil Event Photography
2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Group Photo 2, Photo Credit: Wax Pencil Event Photography
About OCCA Communities Association:
The OCCA Communities Association is a registered charity and non-profit umbrella organization serving multicultural communities across the Okanagan. Our mission is to promote mutual understanding, respect, acceptance, and harmony among the diverse communities of the Central Okanagan. We empower immigrants and refugees by meeting their essential needs and providing opportunities to engage fully in all aspects of community life, from civic participation to cultural exchange and economic inclusion. We envision a vibrant and equitable society where people of all backgrounds thrive together. In this future, immigrants, refugees, and equity-deserving groups are valued as essential contributors, meaningfully engaged in creating sustainable, interconnected communities that reflect our region’s diversity and shared humanity.
Media Contact:
Azaria Anderson
Email: marcom@occabc.ca
Phone: 250-575-8387
We respectfully acknowledge that the OCCA is operating on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
Please note that we will have a photographer on site during the events. If you prefer not to be featured in any photographs, kindly contact OCCA at info@occabc.ca.
