Ribfest in Kamloops cancelled and postponed in Penticton

It may be a summer of bad news for Okanagan rib lovers as COVID-19 concerns have forced the cancellation of Ribfest in Kamloops and the postponement of the Penticton event.

The Rotary Club of Kamloops Daybreak announced in a release today, April 24, it has cancelled Ribfest, which was to take place August 7 to 9.

"Daybreak Rotary takes public safety and health very seriously and given the directive from Dr. Bonnie Henry, has no other option than to cancel this very popular event," stated the media release posted to the Facebook event page.

The Ribfest Raffle will still be held online. The Daybreak Rotary's goal is to raise over $30,000 for the local charities and organizations in the Kamloops community that depend on the contributions.

In the south Okanagan, Penticton Rotary Ribfest event chair Barb Hoolaeff said they have rescheduled the June event to September.

"The original dates were June 26 to 28 and we felt that that was a bit too soon," she said. The new dates for the Penticton Ribfest are Sept. 18 to 20.

The Vernon Rotary Club is still deciding whether or not it will go ahead with the Ribfest scheduled this summer.

"We are in the process of making a decision and will let the community know shortly," Vernon Ribfest stated in a response to a question on Facebook.

Kelowna's Ribfest is also up in the air with a representative saying an announcement will be made "in the next couple weeks."

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