Hotels and winemakers around Osoyoos have devised what they hope will be a salve for what has historically been a lull in the tourist calendar.
The second annual Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival will be twice as big as the inaugural festival last year.
“In June, we have gorgeous weather and a lack of tourists visiting the wineries,” festival organizer and Black Hills Estate Winery owner Glenn Fawcett told Business in Vancouver.
Fawcett, nearby winery principals and representatives at Destination Osoyoos created a wine festival that, Fawcett believes, is the first to have an accompanying contest where amateur filmmakers create 60-second commercials for an area winery.
A panel of winemakers and actors will judge submissions and determine who wins the first prize: $1,500 and three cases of B.C. wine.
Fawcett’s business partner, former Beverly Hills 90210 star Jason Priestley invited Hollywood pals. So, actors such as Batman Returns star Brandon Routh and National Treasure actor Bruce Greenwood are set to converge on B.C.’s wine country for the festival.
Fawcett said: “This is a joint-venture between us as a group of wineries in the south Okanagan and Destination Osoyoos to bring in room nights to hotels in June.”
BIV caught up with B.C. Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger late Tuesday. He praised the organizers’ originality.
“Community festivals really add to the local tourism economy,” Krueger said. “That’s part of our post-Olympic marketing plan.”