Arts & Entertainment
Arts and culture in the Columbia Valley region of the Canadian Rockies are strong and vibrant. The majestic beauty of the Columbia Valley and the rich blend of its cultural traditions continue to inspire our many artists and artisans to create beautiful masterpieces in every branch of the arts and culture.
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We celebrate our cultural heritage with cherished annual festivals, exhibitions, music concerts, dance, film and story-telling. Art galleries and studios offer star billing to hundreds of talented local artists and artisans who salute the beauty and vitality of this mountain paradise in every available media. Gallery shows and artist reception events give visitors exciting opportunities to meet many of these artists, view their works and learn what inspires them.
Visitors to the valley find that our inspiration is contagious and they usually try to take a little bit of it home with them, whether an original painting, a wood carving or the memory of the street festival where they sang and danced to the music of an accordion player.
Featured Art Galleries & Studios
Local art galleries & studios showcase the paintings, woodwork, photography, glass, stone and more by the hundreds of artists who are inspired to express their love for the Columbia Valley. Many of these artists welcome visitors to their studios to view their work.
The Cross Roads Collective
The Cross Roads Collective is an Invermere-based wood artisan gallery where visitors can discover the works of over 40 talented Kootenay artists. Unique! [Read more...]
Upcoming Arts & Cultural Events
Here are arts and cultural events taking place throughout the year in most Columbia Valley communities. Festivals, films, concerts and community occasions are always great reasons to get together to celebrate our heritage and our appreciation of friends, neighbors and our favorite place to live.
Mar 24, 2018
Art From the Heart is back!
'Art From the Heart' features the artwork of the Columbia Valley elementary school kids with a sneak peek at Copper Point Resort & the main show at Pynelogs.
Apr 12, 2018
Chalk Paint 201 workshops at Inspire
These Chalk Paint 201 workshops at Inspire will show your how to work on a larger project, demonstrate glaze finishing techniques, and help you to hone your distressing and layering techniques.
Apr 13, 2018
Chalk Paint 101 workshops at Inspire
These Chalk Paint 101 workshops at Inspire Floral Boutique will introduce you to the basics of chalk painting on three different types of surfaces. Learn how to create some amazing everyday and seasonal decor pieces.
Apr 19, 2018
Wall art workshops at Inspire
In these wall art workshops at Inspire Floral Boutique you will create a funky do-it-yourself wall art piece using pallet board, chalk paint and a gnarly branch.
Apr 19, 2018
LIVE Kicks presents: Steve Dawson’s Black Hen Roadshow
Steve Dawson’s Black Hen Roadshow at the Golden Civic Centre is an unforgettable roots-music evening featuring Steve Marriner, Ndidi Onukwulu & Leeroy Stagger! Get your tickets early!
Apr 20, 2018
Fairy garden workshops at Inspire
In these fairy garden workshops at Inspire Floral Boutique you will learn how to create your own fairy garden. Work with our florist and learn tips and tricks for improved plant care.
Apr 20, 2018
Harry Manx onstage at Key City
Harry Manx onstage at Key City Theatre will delight you with a unique blending of East and West as mystical meets the Blues. Get your tickets now!
Apr 25, 2018
Fisher Peak Winter Ale Concert Series
The Fisher Peak Winter Ale Concert Series at the Key City Theatre offers guests great music while they enjoy a frosty drink of Fisher Peak Winter ale.
Apr 25, 2018
Happy Hands knitting & crocheting group
Happy Hands belong to a group of local knitters and crocheters who meet weekly to create beautiful handmade items for charitable organizations. Newcomers are always welcome!
May 2, 2018
Happy Hands knitting & crocheting group
Happy Hands belong to a group of local knitters and crocheters who meet weekly to create beautiful handmade items for charitable organizations. Newcomers are always welcome!
May 4, 2018
Fresh Fridays Youth Open Mic Night
Calling young, local musicians, stand-up comedians! Perform in this fun, friendly venue. Showcase your talent before a live audience and win prizes!
May 9, 2018
Happy Hands knitting & crocheting group
Happy Hands belong to a group of local knitters and crocheters who meet weekly to create beautiful handmade items for charitable organizations. Newcomers are always welcome!
Annual Fairs & Festivals
Here are some of our favorite annual fairs and festivals. Large or small, they draw friends and neighbors together to celebrate the uniquely beautiful tapestry that is Columbia Valley culture.
Radium Harvest Festival
The Radium Harvest Festival is a grand celebration of autumn and the harvest season. It's a fun-filled family event with a pumpkin carving contest. Fun for all.
Wings Over the Rockies Festival
Celebrate the biodiversity of wildlife in the Columbia River wetlands. Join people from all over the world at the 21st annual Wings Over the Rockies Festival.
Steamboat Mountain Music Festival
The well-loved annual Steamboat Mountain Music festival in Edgewater brings musicians and music lovers together to experience an outdoor, all-genre musical gala in the shadow of Steamboat Mountain.
Mountain Mosaic Festival of the Arts
Follow the Canada Day Parade to the Mountain Mosaic Festival at Kinsmen Park. FREE family fun. Live music, dance, magic, kids activities, food & boat-building contest.
Windermere Fall Fair & Scarecrow Festival
Celebrate the coming autumn season at the Windermere Fall Fair and Scarecrow Festival! There's live music, exhibits, demos, kids zone and great food! Mark your calendar!
Kootenay Country Fair
Celebrate the harvest season in style - Kootenay Country style! Join hundreds and enjoy all the excitement, the fun, the food, the prizes - and much more!
Kimberley Kaleidoscope
Kimberley Kaleidoscope is an annual 8-day arts and cultural festival through concerts, puppet theatre, poetry readings, exhibits, workshops, food and fun. For the whole family. You're invited.
Columbia Salmon Festival
Visitors and the Ktunaxa people will have the chance to learn about the history and also the future of salmon in the Columbia River at Kinsmen Park.
Canal Flats Fall Fair & Artisan Market
The Canal Flats Fall Fair and Artisan Market is going to top the charts this year! Great fun to put happy faces on everyone. Contests, prizes, market.
Snowflake Festival
Invermere's annual Snowflake Festival is a real family affair with live music, fantastic food, drink, ice skating, fire pit and fireworks as a grand finale.
Of Cultural Interest
In this section, you will find things to do and places to visit that represent the blending of the cultures and traditions that have made the Columbia Valley the living, always-evolving and unique place that we celebrate today,
Kootenay Country Fair
[September 13/15] Come on out to the old-fashioned Kootenay Country Fair! It's a major event in Fort Steele's annual calendar. [Read more...]
Fairmont Indian baths
Fairmont Indian baths are natural hot spring pools that were popular among the indigenous people and the early settlers of the valley. A unique and interesting little piece of history. [Read more...]
Kimberley’s Underground Mining Railway
Kimberley's Underground Mining Railway is a novel tourist attraction with a fascinating 100+-year-old history, beginning with the famous Sullivan mine. [Read more...]
Kootenae House National Historic Site
The visitor to Kootenae House National Historic Site stands in a seemingly empty field, surrounded by majestic mountains which overlook the peaceful Columbia Valley. [Read more...]
Conrad Kain Interpretive sign
The career and accomplishments of Conrad Kain, Canada's celebrated first professional mountain guide,are celebrated with an interpretive sign at a scenic viewpoint alongside Hwy 93/95. Worth the stop. [Read more...]
Valley Forged
Valley Forged is a Canal Flats-based band whose music is a seamless mixture of Country, Rock & Celtic. They perform at various Columbia Valley venues. [Read more...]
Fort Steele Heritage Town
Fort Steele Heritage Town, once a thriving mining town, is today a magnet for thousands of visitors who want to experience life as it was in the late 19th century. [Read more...]
Windermere Valley Pioneer Museum
The Windermere Valley Museum, with extensive archives,is a great destination for those who love all things historical. Take a family trip back to the days of the early settlers. [Read more...]
Invermere Art Walk
Spend pleasurable Friday evenings in July and August visiting Invermere BC art galleries to view the inspired work of local artists. See all in one evening or make it a regular Friday treat! [Read more...]
Wings Over the Rockies Festival 2017
Wings Over the Rockies, one of Canada’s largest wildlife festivals, draws hundreds of visitors each year in May to the Upper Columbia River region of British Columbia. [Read more...]
Pynelogs Cultural Centre and Art Gallery
A beautiful 100-year-old Invermere BC building, Pynelogs Art Gallery and Cultural Centre is the home of the Columbia Valley Arts Council, displaying the works of more than 150 valley artists and artisans. [Read more...]
The Stolen Church
Probably the most romantic tale of love and crime in the days of the pioneers of the Columbia Valley is that of the ‘stolen church’ in Windermere. [Read more...]
Embracing summer — Canal Days come alive!
Canal Days is an annual celebration of the reasons why the Canal Flats folks love living in this great little community. There's a full line-up of events. [Read more...]
Popular Arts & Culture Venues
This is a selection of venues where many of our Columbia Valley arts and cultural events take place. The list is by no means complete. We will continue to add others.
Pothole Park
Pothole Park in downtown Invermere is a small but lovely green space that is busy during the year with various community events. The name 'Pothole Park' may seem [Read more...]
Edgewater Community Hall
The Edgewater Community Hall and adjacent park are the pride and joy of the Edgewater community and a perfect venue for any occasion. It is the main venue [Read more...]
Fort Steele Heritage Town
Fort Steele is a heritage town, an hour's drive south from Invermere. Thousands visit each year to be reminded of how life was lived in the the late [Read more...]
Kinsmen Park
One of the most popular outdoor venues in the Columbia Valley is Kinsmen Park, a beautifully manicured green space on the shores of Lake Windermere inInvermere. The park [Read more...]
Pynelogs Cultural Centre
Pynelogs Cultural Centre is a heritage building on the shores of Lake Windermere in Invermere. The facility houses an art gallery which is a venue for more than [Read more...]
Canal Flats Civic Centre
The Canal Flats Civic Centre, since its opening in 1968 as part of the Centennial Project, is the cultural and recreational heart of the Village of Canal Flats. [Read more...]
Cenotaph Park
Cenotaph Park in Invermere BC sits in the heart of the downtown business section. It's beautifully landscaped with trees, flower beds brimming with color and benches where the [Read more...]
Platzl in Kimberley
The Platzl in Kimberley's city centre is what readily comes to mind when one thinks of Kimberley BC. Kimberley is widely known as the “City of Festivals” and [Read more...]
Golden Civic Centre
The Golden Civic Centre was originally built in 1948 from posts and beams salvaged from the Columbia River Lumber Company. It was restored and enhanced in 2011 and [Read more...]
Pynelogs Cultural Centre Photo Gallery
Enjoy the latest photos from the Pynelogs Cultural Centre Instagram location feed. Click an image to open in Gallery view.