Skip to content

Okanagan Vinyl Festival returns for the sixth year

The vinyl album lover’s festival supports community radio in Penticton.
8742198_web1_1710-pwn-vinyl
Lovers of vinyl albums search for treasures among the offerings at the sixth annual Okanagan Vinyl Festival. Steve Kidd/Western News

After seven years of planning and hard work, the dream of having a community radio station broadcasting over Penticton airwaves is nearing reality.

And the annual Okanagan Vinyl Festival, on today (Oct. 1) until 5 p.m. at the South Main Drop-in Centre has played a big part in helping Peach City Radio take CFUZ from online streaming to almost ready to install their transmitting antenna.

The one-day festival brings together lovers of vinyl records, dealers and collectors, to buy, sell and trade their beloved vinyl. Jackie Del Rizzo, president of the Peach City Community Radio Society, says it gets more popular every year.

“We hoped that it would grow into something that would happen all the time, that there would be a lot of people wanting to come back. That has definitely happened,” said Del Rizzo.

The vinyl fest, now in its sixth year, is one of the volunteer society’s most important ways of generating the funds they need to operate.

“We didn’t ever think that a one-day event could do that for us, but it does help us manage a lot of the day to day expenses we have as a society. We do have bricks and mortar now, we do have a space in the Cannery Trade Centre. This is a big help,” said Del Rizzo. “Lots of work goes into it. We have so many volunteers, we are tripping over volunteers, it is so fantastic. It is so worth it, we get money that will help us go.”