Our Story

The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society is one of the largest not-for-profit wine industry festival and marketing organizations in Canada. OWFS is committed to providing authentic wine experiences to Valley locals and visitors alike. We strive to connect consumers through uniquely designed wine festivals and tasting events with over 100 wineries across the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. 

OWFS began in 1980 during the infancy of the Okanagan Valley wine industry. Since then, we have grown alongside the industry itself and now produce four seasonal festivals with over 100 events annually. Additionally, we produce the largest, most prestigious wine judging competition in the province-- the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards.

OWFS is a membership-based society that exists to directly connect consumers with our members, tourism partners, and Okanagan Valley communities via festivals, events, trade tastings, wine competitions, and the WINETHUSIAST Club. In 2019, we connected over 11,000 19+ consumers to our 120 member businesses, our sponsors, and our Okanagan Valley communities!

Over the past few decades, the Okanagan Valley has become well known for its wineries. We are now recognized globally as one of the most successful premium wine producing regions in the world! In 2017, the Okanagan wine industry added an estimated $2.4 billion dollars to the BC economy. The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society supports the important work of placing the Okanagan Valley and our fabulous wineries on the provincial, national and international stages--- most especially through our wine festivals/events and our wine judging competitions.