There’s no ‘soy’ in Osoyoos (the summer resort city is actually pronounced Oh-soo-yus) but there is finally a music festival.
Desert Live just wrapped an exciting first year with five days of free music on the beaches of Osoyoos Lake (June 27-July 1) culminating with Vancouver soul rockers No Sinner headlining the Canada Day/Cherry Fiesta madness.
With everything from waterfront resort accommodations to first-class 100 Mile dining (see photo gallery below) to the most engaging mini golf course in the world within walking distance, Osoyoos is a hidden gem, located just under six hours driving from Vancouver.
“The goal of the festival is to create an exceptional experience for our visitors and local residents,” said Mike Campol, chair of the music festival committee prior to its début. “We want to create a space where you can relax with your friends or family, have a beer and allow the music to breathe new life through Canada’s only desert. And, in my opinion, there is no better backdrop than the shoreline of Osoyoos Lake for this to take place.”
And he was right. We attended the weekend sets, and noticed at first crowds were hesitant to leave the water's edge (it's truly a beautiful thing to behold), but the advantage of the area's acoustics meant that you could hear the music from wherever you were basking. And at night, the grass around the historic Gyro Bandshell - wryly located next to a retirement home and lawn bowling green - was a sea of hundreds of teens and tourists dancing, kids playing, couples sitting and drinkers drinking while acts from around BC played their guts out.
The set up was intimate but the sound was festival-grade. And Nelson pop export Shawn Hook took full advantage, rolling out a high-energy, electro-spiked rendition of his 2012 EMI debut Saturday night. Meanwhile, Kelowna band Yukon Blonde were the surprise Sunday night highlight of what, for many, was not a long weekend, keeping the smiling, sweating crowds chanting one more song until well after curfew kicked in.
Surrounded by organic farms and award-winning wineries (including North America's first Aboriginal owned and operated winery, Nk'Mip) and home to "Canada's warmest welcome", we think it might be time to start planning the next July-long.
Photo gallery:
The drive in to Osoyoos along Highway 3 is lined with vineyards and fruit farms.
Spotted Lake always signals you're almost there.
The Desert Live festival grounds were chair- and family-friendly.
Food trucks kept the crowds fed well into the night.
Some of the delicious, locally sourced items at Watermark Resort Wine & Tapas bar, located right next to the festival grounds. The rib special, cooked next to you on the patio grill, was literally falling of the bone.
Dinner the second night was a feast at Walnut Beach Resort a 5 minute drive out of town. We devoured this blueberry beef dish with gorgonzola smashed potatoes.
Chef Justin Paakkunainen came out with a surprise rabbit amuse featuring chanterelle mushrooms and herbs from the patio garden.
His secret bree and three-ingredient garlic relish appetizer was the hands-down star of the weekend.
Todd (right) and Justin cook almost the entire menu on a backyard barbecuer's dream set up, located right next to the patio and pool.
The view.
And for desert, Walnut Beach's peanut butter mousse (centre) was a two-bite beauty.
Back at the festival, shaggy dude rock outfit Yukon Blonde fit the vibe of the event perfectly, keeping the tempo up and the music loud.
And we caught super approachable frontman Jeff Innes (left) on a mad dash to the beer garden for last call.
General notes: It's not a weekend in Osoyoos without breakfast at JoJo's on the main drag.
Owner Jo (centre) with baristas Dan and Byron.
And be sure to venture the 10-minute walk down the road to Rattlesnake Canyon, an elaborate mini-golf course, arcade, amusement park, and ice cream parlour that has been a hub of culture in Osoyoos for decades. This photo (deliberately) doesn't show how insanely busy it was on the Sunday night.
And that was the weekend! Not counting the bountiful organic cherries, incredible local wines, and hours spent unwinding in 28C heat. Special thanks to Destination Osoyoos for their support in sending WE Vancouver to Desert Live!
