With food, entertainment, music and performances representing 35 countries, Penticton's 11th Annual OneWorld Multicultural Festival was a celebration of our multicultural community.
The South Okanagan is home to residents that represent over 110 countries and territories of origins, and this festival featured 14 information booths/merchandise vendors, 11 food vendors and 13 performance groups. Nearly 2,000 participants passed through the doors for the four-hour event.
Digging into the data
Are you surprised to learn just how many different nationalities are represented in our region? Our ‘Welcome Home’ initiative paints an interesting picture. The program, which connects new Penticton residents with resources and information, also collects data about their origins and reasons for moving here.
An analysis of 150 households that arrived here between 2022 and 2023 indicates that 16 per cent of them had immigrated to Canada within the last five years.
New faces
The data shows that Penticton’s population in general is significantly made up of newer residents, regardless of their origins. The 2021 Census measured how many people had moved to Penticton in the five years prior to the taking of the census. Incredibly, that came out to be almost exactly half of Penticton’s population.
Broader options
Those who have lived in Penticton for longer may be able to identify some of the impacts of this inflow of multicultural residents in their shopping options. For many years, Penticton has been fortunate to be served by the European specialists including Il Vecchio Delicatessen and La Cucina European Market and Delicatessen.
In the last few years, we have seen a dramatic increase of options for grocery and international foods. Here’s a few newer ones to check out:
Penticton Global Grocers
Mr. Marks Caribbean Food Products
EDSA Filipino Store
SF Greek Market
Also, Penticton’s restaurants are providing diners with a world of choices from Turkish to Japanese, Vietnamese to Polish, from dosas to bubble tea, souvlaki to woodfire pizza. Next time you're planning to eat out, consider trying something new! Also, put a mark in your calendars for the 2025 OneWorld Multicultural Festival. It’ll be in February and guaranteed to be a bright spot in your winter month.
@start.here.penticton