Kelowna's new music venue Revelry expected to open this summer

Photo: revelrykelowna.com

The front of the building remains under construction at this time, but this artist rendering shows what it may look like.

After several years of planning, Kelowna's newest music venue is set to open this summer.

In a press release Thursday morning, Revelry Food+Music Hub announced it will open some time this summer at 1383 Ellis Street, across from the downtown library.

The venue will operate as a cafe during the day, a music hall at night and an “urban meeting space.”

“Live music and dining formats will vary by time of day, and by day of the week, with something new and exciting always on the horizon,” the company says.

The new addition to Kelowna's downtown core is a long-time coming, with its development permit first coming across Kelowna City Council's desk back in August 2020. Council has been supportive of the project.

Revelry did not disclose exactly when it plans on opening its doors, but a general manager and food and beverage manager have been hired. Those looking for new job opportunities at Revelry can fine more information here.

The venue is expected to add another much-needed space for live music and other shows, in a city that has seen many of its long-time venues close in recent years.

While many are no doubt looking forward to a new live music space in the city, not everyone has welcomed Revelry's arrival. Last December, the strata corporation at the nearby Madison apartment building filed a petition in BC Supreme Court, seeking a stop work order on the project.

Strata president Lloyd Pederson claimed that by granting the permits for Revelry, the city did not do its required due diligence and caused "harm to 57 families for the benefit of one investor's profit." The petition named Revelry, the City of Kelowna and the BC government.

A GoFundMe page raised more than $10,000 for legal fees to try and stop the Revelry project.

But in formal responses filed last month, both Revelry and the BC government said the petition should simply be dismissed.

“The amended petition is not supported by any admissible evidence,” the general manager of the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch wrote in a response. "The respondent says the petition should be dismissed as against the respondent.”

In his own response, Revelry owner Lee Simon says his company followed all City of Kelowna and BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch approval processes. He noted that he even met with Pederson on July 21, 2020 to address his concerns.

“Revelry Holdings has spent millions of dollars attempting to open Revelry from a renovated building on the property,” Simon said in his May 11, 2023 filing. “These costs include more than one hundred thousand dollars spent on design, planning, engineering, and construction consultants to assist with the layers of approvals required to fully comply with applicable bylaws, policies, statutes and regulations, as well as inconsistencies between current guidelines.

“Revelry's LCRB application has received “approval in principle” and final inspection by LCRB is pending.”

In his response, Simon says he's seeking “special costs” from Pederson, which would see Simon recuperate the legal fees he's spent in responding to Pederson's petition.