In its first year, the Summerland Festival of Lights committee sold 25,000 lights to downtown businesses and buildings. Soon after that did the District of Summerland join in and start decorating the street light standards and public buildings, according to a 2019 Castanet history of the festival.
That detail explains how the weekend of November 27 and 28 works. The festival started as a merchants' project, and it still behaves like one. Downtown organizations treat the crowd as their best chance of the year to be seen. On Friday night the fire department collects donations in the street and the Summerland Museum shows people its renovation plans. On Saturday morning the firefighters serve breakfast in a café on Henry Avenue. Each of these traditions is timed to the same weekend, when the biggest crowd of the year is already downtown.
Four Business Owners and the Downtown BIA
Bruce Hallquist told Castanet in 2019 that the festival "was conceived 32 years ago by four Summerland businessmen, Jerry Hallquist, Art Sewell, Allan Fabbi and myself under the umbrella of the Downtown Business Improvement Area." He added, "At the time, it was the only festival of its kind in the Okanagan."
In those first years the festival drew 4,000 to 5,000 people, Castanet reported. For the 2026 edition, the Penticton Herald puts attendance at more than 10,000 residents and visitors. That's at least double the early crowds, all in a few downtown blocks centered on Main Street and Victoria Road.
Friday, November 27, Hour by Hour
The District of Summerland's announcement calls this the 39th annual Festival of Lights. Admission is free, all ages are welcome, and the evening includes live music, family activities, holiday shopping, food trucks, the downtown light-up and a fireworks finale. The Herald gives the times, and they're worth planning around:
- 4 p.m. The Summerland Museum and Archives opens its doors at 9521 Wharton Street, an hour before the festival starts.
- 5 p.m. The festival begins downtown, centered on Main Street and Victoria Road.
- 7 p.m. The official light-up.
- 8 p.m. The museum open house wraps up.
- 8:30 p.m. Fireworks.
- 9 p.m. The festival closes.
The Herald describes local performers, downtown shops open for holiday gifts, products from local artisans and makers, and food and locally crafted drinks. For the full schedule, the District points to the festival's Facebook event and suggests following the Destination Summerland page.
If you drive downtown for errands that Friday, last year's road closures give a sense of the footprint. For the 2025 festival, the District closed Main Street from Victoria Road to Lordco, Victoria Road from Elliott to Jubilee, Henry Avenue from Main to Wharton, and Wharton Street from Kelly to Victoria. Some nearby laneways and the Post Office lot were also closed, generally from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The 2025 notice also said the regular #30 bus route would be affected, that a free shuttle would run, and that businesses inside the closure area would stay open. The District posts its notice on the community updates page, so check there for this year's streets before you head down.
The Museum Is Opening Its Plans to the Same Crowd
The Summerland Museum and Archives has scheduled its renewal project open house for festival night on purpose. The museum's event listing invites people to learn about its renewal and renovation plans. Board members and renovation committee members will talk about the progress so far and the next steps, and architectural plans and artists' renderings will be on display.
The museum is also offering the things that bring people in on a cold evening. There will be live music and a festive photo booth, a scavenger hunt with goodie bags for kids, and an open gift shop for Christmas shopping. Hot apple cider, hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies will be served.
The museum sits on Wharton Street, one of the streets inside last year's closure area. That makes it an easy first stop before the 7 p.m. light-up. It's also the one stop on the program where you can look at what a downtown building is planned to become, not just how it looks lit up for the holidays.
The Fire Department Works Both Ends of the Weekend
Summerland's firefighters appear twice. On festival night, they'll be "Shaking the Boot" for donations in the crowd, Castanet reported on November 7. The next morning they host the main event.
Toys and Toonies for Tots and Teens Breakfast
- When: Saturday, November 28, 8 to 11 a.m.
- Where: Second Home Café on Henry Avenue
- On the plate: Pancakes, sausages and scrambled eggs
- Cost: A cash donation or a new, unwrapped gift
- Where it goes: Every dollar raised buys gifts for children and teens in need in Summerland
This is the 39th annual breakfast, the same count as the festival the night before. The donor list shows how local the morning is. True Grain Bakehouse is donating pastries and Summerland Sweets is providing syrups. Nesters Market and Summerland IGA are supplying juices, milk and some sweet treats.
The District listed the breakfast in its November 2026 newsletter, alongside the Festival of Lights and a free Youth Night on November 25 at 7 p.m.
If you're bringing a gift instead of cash, it needs to be new and unwrapped. The money goes to buying gifts, so a toy or a teen-friendly item counts the same as cash at the door.
After the Fireworks, the Season Moves to the Railway
Summerland's next big holiday tradition starts the following Thursday. The Kettle Valley Steam Railway's Christmas Express runs at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on these dates in December 2026:
| Week | Dates | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| First | December 3 to 6 | 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. |
| Second | December 10 to 13 | 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. |
| Final | December 17 to 22 | 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. |
Fares are $37 for adults, $34 for seniors, $32 for youth and $26 for children, and the railway promises music and Santa.
Teresa Braam spends a lot of time on Summerland's downtown streets, and the Festival of Lights weekend is one of the best times to see them. If you're thinking about how downtown Summerland fits your next chapter, or you just want to compare notes over a cup of cider, Teresa Braam would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.
