Registration is now open for the 2022 B.C. Canoe Festival, which takes place April 29 to May 1 in Hope.
Paddlers will slice through the waters of Kawkawa Lake and participate in a long list of canoe-related activities.
The festival includes paddling clinics, slide shows, nature paddles and back country camping seminars. The feature event is a regatta that is open to all paddler classes, from tandem and solo to marathon, voyageur and family.
According to the event website, the 2022 B.C. Canoe Festival is hosted at Camp Kawkawa and includes food and accommodation, with options for tenting or staying in a cabin.
“We’re really excited to be back at Camp Kawkawa,” said Recreation Canoeing Association of British Columbia (RCABC) president Keiran Rankin. “We had to cancel the last two years because of the limits on large gatherings for COVID. Our individual clubs have been out together on the water, but it’s been a long time since we have been able to gather as a provincial organization and I can tell you we’re all tired of Zoom meetings!
“This festival is our flagship event and we’re gonna have a ton of fun with our paddling clinics, games, presentations, and sitting down together to share food and stories again.”
Sessions at the festival will include:
- On the water sessions, from basic paddling and rescues to stroke refreshers and more
- Presentations on canoe trips, environmental issues, etc.
- Workshops on themes such as paddling gear, food, canoe songs, trip planning, yoga for paddlers
- Guided nature walks and paddles around Kawkawa Lake
- Social activities including square dancing, storytelling, and games
- RCABC Annual General Meeting and Instructor Annual General Meeting.
Only people with membership in the RCABC can participate in that last item. Membership costs $15 a year.
Registration for the festival opened March 7. Early-bird pricing ends March 21 and registration closes April 10.
Organizers are also looking for people to run sessions, and travel subsidies are offered for volunteers ready to lead or assist in at least two sessions.
Organizers are also looking for people to help collect donations from various retailers, which are used as door prizes and to acknowledge festival volunteers and RCABC contributors.
For more info visit sites.google.com/view/bccanoefestival/get-involved or email festival committee chair Kari-Ann Thor at canoeingthors@icloud.com
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