Lighting lanterns in Kelowna for Year of the Snake

Lantern festival goes Sunday

The dragon and lion will be dancing at Parkinson Recreation Centre on Sunday.

Several local dignitaries, including Mayor Tom Dyas and Kelowna MPs and MLAs, will be in attendance when the OCCA Community Association hosts its annual Spring Lantern Festival as part of Lunar New Year celebrations.

“The light means hope, and people make a wish and pray for a prosperous year. So we host the spring lantern festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year together with all the communities in the Central Okanagan every year,” explained OCCA executive director Fei Liu.

2025 is the Year of the Snake. The snake is believed to represent wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity.

“And the most important significance is transformation,” said Liu. “So, in Chinese culture, we call snakes little dragons, which means after years of calculation and hard work, snakes can transform into mighty dragons.”

The OCCA Community Association is an umbrella organization that serves multicultural communities across Central Okanagan. It offers services including language training, childcare programs and employment skills training.

The OCCA Multicultural Spring Lantern Festival takes place on Sunday, Feb. 9, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna. Admission is free, but guests are asked to pre-register.