Presented in part by the City of Kamloops, the North Shore Business Improvement Association’s Tapestry Festival Multicultural Event 2026 is returning to McDonald Park on Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event brings together music, dance, art, food, and cultural experiences from all around the world right here in Kamloops.
For Tapestry Festival organizer Patti Phillips, the magic of the annual multicultural celebration isn’t about any particular part of the event, but when the whole thing comes together. The food, the entertainment, the culture, the people, it’s the coming together that makes it special.
“It’s an event that you have to feel,” Phillips said. “You go there, and you’ve got all of these people and, you know, whether it’s Indian music or the Mexican music or Spanish, everybody gets up dancing, and it doesn’t matter what age, or what colour or whatever. Everybody’s just all one, and that has always been my favourite part of Tapestry Festival.”
This year’s entertainment schedule stretches almost continuously from the opening ceremonies to the 4 p.m. closing remarks, with performances representing cultures from across the globe.
The lineup includes welcome drumming from the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society, Desi Fusion Crew, Irish dancers, Colombia in Kamloops, Latin and Spanish music, Grass Dance, Raiden Taiko Drums and Raiden Taiko Kids, Bollyfit Fusion, Sim’ya Ukrainian Dancers, Restoration African Choir, reggae performer Rganik and Archana Sree.
And after five years of trying, Phillips has finally managed to add something that she’s been wanting for a while to the festival.
“Finally, it’s taken me five years. Finally got the bagpipes,” she said. The Highland dancers, bagpipes, and drummers will help close out the afternoon’s entertainment.
Away from the stage, approximately 26 cultural pavilions and vendors will make up the festival’s Multicultural Neighbourhood, where visitors can learn about different cultures, meet participants, and shop for products from around the world.
Authenticity has been important to Phillips since the festival began. “I’ve always been very strict since day one that everything must be authentic,” she said. Sharing culture in a way that is respectful and true, and bringing the beauty of those cultures within our community.
That philosophy extends to the food, with around a dozen food pavilions offering flavours including Mexican, Indian, Korean, Indigenous, Filipino, Chinese, Greek, Nigerian, Colombian and Hawaiian.
“Oh, my God. So much food,” Phillips laughed. “The only bad thing about that is trying to figure out, okay, where am I going to eat? Because there’s so many good ones, right?”
The festival also includes an art pavilion, where artists will sell their work and create art on site, and an Around the World Kids Zone featuring hands-on activities including button making, cultural flags and a collaborative painted mosaic.
Getting to McDonald Park may also be easier this year. A new free shuttle will run approximately every 15 minutes between McArthur Island and the festival, while a free bike valet will be available for those who cycle.
There will be so many great reasons to come out to the festival, but for Phillips, the success of Tapestry still comes back to the sight of people sharing the park, the music, and each other’s cultures.
“The first year that happened, I mean, I had shivers and tears in my eyes because I was just so grateful,” she said. “That’s what I wanted, and it happened. And it has happened every year. That’s the biggest part for me.”