Vernon Winter Carnival Parade starts at noon today

Parade and carnival fun

It has been a North Okanagan tradition for decades, and today the 66th annual Vernon Winter Carnival Parade will wind is way through town.

The parade starts at noon and will run along 27th Street, featuring dozens of floats, organizations and, of course, clowns.

Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault has footage from a carnival parade dating back to 1964, not long after carnival began.

"Parades are fun to watch and give us a sense of what was happening in the day. Fashion, social issues, tourism, public awareness all wrap themselves up in colourful floats, costumes and music," said Arseneault. "The background details are often fascinating themselves.

The 66th annual Vernon Winter Carnival kicked off Friday and continues through Feb. 15 with numerous free and ticketed events.

Along with the parade, scores of other events are planned for today.

Another World VR presents Winter VR Adventure: Carnival Edition, featuring a range of virtual reality games. The Winter VR Adventure continues throughout carnival.

The Downtown Chili Cook Off is back for the 17th year, where participants choose the best chili in town.

The free Jopo Swim takes place at the Vernon Aquatic Centre from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

Sip and Savour takes place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. and the Elks Beer Garden goes from 1 to 5 p.m.

For a full list of events, times and places and to purchase tickets, click here.