The 29th annual Fat Cat Children’s Festival made a triumphant return to Waterfront Park this weekend with a fresh, new approach.
A beloved event here in the Okanagan, the Fat Cat Festival is known for bringing two days worth of all-ages, educational fun to the downtown core.
The 2019 event welcomed new co-artistic directors, Erin Scott and Karma Lacoff to breathe new life into the nearly three decades old event.
“It has been really great!” exclaimed Scott.
“There have been natural challenges because the community knows what they like and what to expect, but as new artistic directors we wanted to change things up a bit,” she added.
As with every year, the fun brought into the community through Fat Cat has a theme with this year’s being “The Power of Play” — an idea that Scott holds in high regard.
“The Power of Play has been a motto of my own in that I think that everybody has a better life when they play,” she said.
“It’s the idea that a lot of what we already do in our lives encompasses play and the more we embody that and model that to our children, the more they will hold onto that as they grow.”
Helping to bring the theme to life are over 40 interactive activity stations that feature everything from dress up and face painting to learning how to power electronics with vegetables, creating art with clay and so much more.
In addition to educating and inspiring the attending families through the various stations, two stages have been hosting a number of live performances throughout the day — welcoming Kelowna’s own The Oot n’ Oots, Vancouver’s dance group, Immigrant Lessons and Quebec’s Puzzle Theatre.
The crown jewel of Fat Cat, the parade was just as fun as always. Though smaller, the people-powered walking parade featured creative costumes, miniature floats and of course, the Fat Cat mascot.
Despite the chilly weather and peek-a-boo sunshine — families could be spotted miles away thanks to their beaming smiles.
Click here to see more photos!
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