Spring Break 2026 is almost here, and Penticton is bursting with ways to keep kids busy, active, creative and smiling all break long.
This year, the last day of school is Friday, March 13, with students heading back to class on Monday, March 30, 2026. Whether your family is looking for camps, festivals, outdoor adventures or cozy indoor fun, there’s something for everyone right here in our community.
Here’s your go-to guide for a fun-filled Spring Break in Penticton.
Ignite the Arts Festival
Ignite the Arts is a three-day, multi-venue festival celebrating music, visual arts, dance, storytelling and more across downtown Penticton. Julie Fowler, Ignite the Arts Festival Coordinator, says the festival features workshops, family-friendly events, a Parade for No Reason, and live performances in unique indoor and outdoor spaces.
“Fostering creativity is so important. It’s great to see kids getting dressed up and bringing some magic into the world—some positivity. It really sparks imagination for kids and shows them what is possible.”
Fowler says the festival is thrilled to welcome Fred Penner, a favourite of kids and the young at heart, along with Kiki the EcoElf, who brings her giant inflatable salmon to the Penticton Art Gallery for songs, stories and lively kids’ dance parties.
We Create Penticton (Community Week): March 20–26
Festival Weekend: March 27–29
Tickets: Youth (ages 13–18): $25
Children 12 and under: Free
As part of Ignite the Arts programming, the Penticton Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts is running a Youth Songwriting Spring Camp from March 23–27. The camp focuses on supporting self-expression through music, songwriting, and spoken word poetry, combining elements of musical theory, improvisation techniques, and lyric writing.
Students ages 10–17 will have the opportunity to perform their original songs at the first concert of the Ignite the Arts Festival weekend at The Hub on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Date: March 23–27 (Monday to Friday)
Time: 12–5 pm
Cost: $250 + registration fee
Get tickets here.
Catch a Hockey Game
From March 7–22, Penticton hosts the 2026 CSSHL Western Championships at the South Okanagan Events Centre Complex. Watch 106 teams compete in 196 games across multiple divisions. Youth and children 18 and under are free (ticket required)
You can also catch Penticton Vees home games on March 13, 17, and 20. Experience the excitement as the city’s newest WHL team hits the ice!
Get Tickets Here! For more details and ticket information, visit the SOEC website.
Explore the Outdoors
Apex Mountain Resort, located just a 30-minute drive from Penticton, is a winter wonderland, where you can ski, snowboard or go tubing at the Tube Park using an inflatable tube. Children must be 42 inches or taller to ride a tube on their own, while smaller children can share a double tube with a parent. For a magical skating experience, lace up and enjoy the Adventure Skate Loop, which winds through the forests of Apex Mountain (be sure to check the conditions in advance, since the skating rink will close when weather warms).
While you’re there, grab lunch or dinner at the Gunbarrel Saloon, The Edge Bistro, Longshots Steak House, Pit Stop Cafeteria, or the Artisan’s Den.
Just past the Apex village, Nickel Plate Nordic Centre offers a fun-filled day of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for the whole family. Skis and boots can be rented for children under six and youth ages 6-18 for $18.
Alex Caplan, Program Manager, says children are also welcome to bring their sleds for downhill sledding and pack a picnic lunch or snack.
“We often have fires outdoors where families can bring their own s’mores or hot dogs and roast them by the fire and enjoy the Spring Break sun,” Caplan said.
Closer to home, play a round of disc golf at the nine-hole Rotary Marina View Disc Golf Course or the 18-hole Three Blind Mice Disc Golf Course.
Enjoy a bike ride around town along the Lake to Lake Route, or take in the scenic views from the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail.
Have Some Indoor Fun
If you’d rather warm up indoors, there are plenty of options for kids to burn off energy, and for parents to have some fun too.
Visit Okanagan Virtual Golf at 310 Main Street for an immersive indoor golf experience. Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.
Enjoy bowling, darts, billiards, black light mini golf, and arcade games at Roll ’n Stones Fun Centre, or experience immersive virtual reality entertainment at Penticton Virtual Reality Studio.
Take the family to the cinema—nothing beats a movie on the big screen. Find Landmark Cinemas showtimes online.
You can also enjoy the leisure pool at the Penticton Community Centre, complete with a lazy river, spray features and a waterslide.
Kids can jump, run, balance, roll and hang at two gymnastics centres in Penticton that offer drop-in programs. Visit Springers Gymnastics or Flip’ Pen Gymnastics for more details.
Learn, Explore, Read and Play
Families can enjoy Family Storytime, Toddlertime, and Baby Songs and Rhymes at the Penticton Public Library throughout Spring Break.
Youth Services Librarian Julia Cox encourages children and youth to borrow a book and take part in special programming.
"We have a couple of special programs for school-aged kids. We do stories, a craft, and a puppet show for ages 5 to 12. We are planning to do a craft program as well around puppetry for the Ignite the Arts ‘We Create Penticton’ Community Week,” Cox says.
Check out the Library’s programs and events calendar for full details.
Right next door, the Dinosaurs of BC exhibit continues at the Penticton Museum & Archives. On loan from the Royal British Columbia Museum, this special exhibit tells the fascinating story of British Columbia’s very own resident dinosaurs.
Penticton Spring Break Camps
Dance Camp- Sol Dance Studio
Located in the Cannery Trade Centre, Sol Dance Studio is hosting a K-Pop–inspired Spring Break Camp focused on friendship, confidence, and courage. Perfect for kids who love to move and express themselves.
Date: March 16–20
Time: 9am–3:30 pm
Martial Arts Camp- Pacific Top Team
Pacific Top Team, a Penticton Jiu-Jitsu academy, is offering a Spring Break Martial Arts Camp designed to build discipline, confidence and fitness in a fun and supportive environment. Contact the academy for more details.
Parkour Camp- Ethos Parkour & Movement
Kids can burn off energy running, jumping, climbing, balancing, and vaulting their way through exciting obstacle courses at Ethos Parkour & Movement.
“Parkour is a life skill,” says co-owner Heather Kleyn. “It’s about learning your own body mechanics, pushing your limits, and competing against yourself in a very supportive community.”
With glow-in-the-dark laser tag, noodle tag, “Among Us,” reading time, colouring, and free play, there’s something for everyone. No experience required.
“Any and all skill levels are welcome,” Kleyn says.
Full, Half-Day and Mini Camps available: March 16-20 & March 23-27. Ages: 5+
Arts Camp- Art Up Studios
Art Up Studios is hosting a Glow Art & Empowerment Camp for ages 5-12, featuring painting, nature art, crafts, mini-meditations, and lots of glow-in-the-dark fun.
“We do a holistic approach to creativity and different modalities of art and craft,” says Tia Saunders, owner of Meraki Kids Club.
Kids will explore acrylics, watercolours, clay, slime-making, and finish the week with a Glowing Art Show for friends and family.
Date: March 16-20 & March 23-27
Time: 9am-3pm
Gymnastics Camp- Springers Gymnastics
Springers Gymnastics (Cannery Trade Centre) offers full- and half-day camps where kids learn fundamentals like balance beam, bars, vault, trampoline and floor skills.
“No experience is needed,” says head coach and owner Manuela Stegmann. “We teach all skills step by step and welcome children of all abilities.”
Date: March 16-20
Full & Half-Day camps available
Horse Camp- Sagebrush Stables
Spend Spring Break immersed in barn life at Sagebrush Stables during a two-day camp packed with hands-on farm adventures for ages 6+.
Owner Lois Wager says children will get to practice horse care and horsemanship, take riding lessons in the arena, create crafts, try their hand at baking, and meet the farm animals.
“We teach safety around horses and barn management with rides in the arena. We do ages 6 and up and only four children in a camp, so they get a lot of activity with the horses and we take a lot of safety measures. They do not ride unattended, and there is only one rider in the arena at one time.”
With small group sizes and a strong focus on safety, this camp offers a memorable and confidence-building experience for young horse lovers.
Date: March 24–25
Time: 9:30 am–1:30 pm
Pottery Camp- KAMU Studio
KAMU Studio offers a pottery Spring Break camp where children can explore clay, express their creativity, and make one-of-a-kind pieces to take home.
Instructor Kathleen Murphy says the camp takes place at her home-based pottery studio, located on an orchard, giving children plenty of space for creativity and outdoor fun. Along with working in clay, campers will have time to roam the property, play games, draw, and enjoy a picnic.
“We will be making bowls and plates, probably hot chocolate mugs, some sculptures, and we usually do a big project like a fairy house,” Murphy says.
This relaxed, hands-on camp is perfect for kids who love to create and explore at their own pace.
Date: March 16-20 and March 23-27
Time: 9am-3pm
Daycare Spring Break Camp
Kids Connection Daycare at Uplands Elementary is offering a Spring Break camp open to children from all neighbourhoods. The theme for March 16–20 is Camping and Nature.
Date: March 16-20
Time: 8am-5pm
Gym-Tastic Camp, Penticton Community Centre
The Penticton Community Centre’s popular Spring Break camps include sports, crafts, special events, games, day trips, and gymnastics. Camps are currently full, but families can join the waitlist here.
Go on the Job Hunt
If you’re on the hunt for a new job, check out the annual Start Here Penticton Job Fair at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on Wednesday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Meet dozens of employers looking for a wide range of skills and experience at the largest job fair of its kind in the South Okanagan.
For more family-friendly activities and events to check out this Spring Break, visit Okanagan Family Fun.
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