Photo: Contributed - http://www.kelownamaplefest.ca/home/

Poutine, maple taffy on ice, crepes and French music can be found this weekend at the annual Kelowna Maple Fest.

The Quebecois-style festival, put on by the Okanagan Francophone Cultural Centre, is set to celebrate French culture in the Okanagan for the 36th year.

“It first started when groups of people here from back East were nostalgic about the old sugar shack parties and sugar shack events, so they started it as a small event, and it grew and grew and grew, and eventually it became the big event,” says Nicole Leblanc, executive assistant for the cultural centre. “It is Canadian tradition. It is an event to celebrate spring because when you harvest the maple, it is always in the spring.”

Leblanc says the francophone community is large in the Okanagan, with about 6,000 residents, and thousands more who speak the language and love the culture.

The three-day festival kicks of tonight with performances at the Laurel Packinghouse.

Internally acclaimed Quebec folk-rock band Les Cowboys Fringants (in English: “Frisky Cowboys”) will perform.

With more than 800,000 albums sold and their typical concerts being in venues larger than Prospera Place, Leblanc says this intimate venue concert is a must-see.

“We have people coming in from Vancouver, Alberta and across the country for this opening night,” says Leblanc. “They are a huge, huge, huge band from back East, and they are known worldwide. To have them in the Laurel Packinghouse, people can't believe it. They are freaking out.”

On Saturday, everyone is invited to Family Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the Rotary Centre for the Arts. Admission is free and guests can enjoy activities, performances, shows and workshops, as well as favourite Quebecois foods.

“We are hoping for sun,” says Leblanc. “There will be real poutine, maple taffy on snow, crepes and entertainment.”

Saturday night, the Laurel will host Juno Award winning folk-soul artist Bobby Bazini. Opening act the Bellwoods' song 'Live it Up' is playing on local radio stations now.

The weekend's final event will feature a Sunday sugar shack brunch at the Laurel, with entertainment, of course.

Breakfast connoisseurs can expect ham, hash browns, beans, scrambled eggs, maple tarts, pancakes, pea soup, coffee and orange juice – while the Old Time Fiddlers set the ambiance.

Tickets are available at the door of each event, cash only.

For more information on the festival, check out their website here.