Summerland
In recent weeks, Summerland and neighbouring communities have faced tremendous disruption and loss as a result of the wildfires. Many people are still displaced, grieving, rebuilding or supporting loved ones and neighbours through an incredibly difficult time.
The Festival
After careful consideration, Summerland's Ryga Arts Festival will proceed this year in a smaller, revised form. All events in our revised schedule will be offered completely free of charge. We hope they can provide welcoming spaces for people to gather, connect and experience the arts together without any additional financial barriers.
To make the remaining events free, we had to make some difficult decisions about what we could realistically offer this year. Unfortunately, this means we have cancelled both sGaanaGwa and Outspoken. We are deeply disappointed not to present these events and grateful to the artists and partners involved for their understanding.
We have also made the difficult decision to postpone the 2026 Theatre Trail. The Trail requires significant rehearsal time, and our community was displaced for too long to make that possible this fall. We will hold a private read-through this year, with the intention of presenting the postponed Trail in spring 2027 or alongside next year's festival, in addition to the new 2027 Theatre Trail.
On October 9, we will partner with the Dream Society to host a special Ryga fundraiser in Penticton. A significant portion of the proceeds will support a wildfire relief organization. More details will be announced soon.
This is not the festival we originally planned, but this is not an ordinary year. We are deeply grateful to our artists, partners, funders and community members for helping us reshape the festival with care.
Please see our revised schedule in this post. Anyone who purchased tickets to a cancelled or postponed event will receive a refund as soon as possible.
