Festivals abound this weekend in the South Okanagan with the start of the 37th annual Okanagan Wine Festival and the Oliver Festival of the Grape.

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PENTICTON - The Okanagan Wine Festival gets underway this weekend with events throughout the valley.

This is the 37th year for the 10 day festival, which runs until Sunday, Oct. 8. Click here for a complete list of events.

The 19th annual Art Exhibit and Sale takes place until Monday, Oct. 2, at the Naramata Community Church Hall. Hours are 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day except Sunday, which is noon to 6 p.m. Local artists will have their works on display in a wide variety of mediums and themes.

Many Hats Theatre continues with its run of “Real Estate” at the Cannery Stage, 1475 Fairview Rd. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30, with a Sunday 2 p.m. matinee. Cost is $19 to $22. For more information, see the Many Hats Theatre website.

The Missoula Children’s Theatre presents "Jack and the Beanstalk," a musical production at Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver. The show takes place Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. See the website for more information.

The Penticton Scouts and Cubs Huck Finn raft race takes place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, launching at Coyote Cruises and finishing at Green Mountain Road.

The RCMP are hosting a “Cram the Cruiser” food drive at the Real Canadian Superstore in Penticton from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

C.R. Avery entertains at The Dream Cafe Friday, Sept. 29, billed as the “outlaw hip-hop harmonica player, beatbox poet, punk piano player, string quartet raconteur, rock and roll matador, playwright.” One critic calls his unique sound “Neil Young inspired by hip-hop.” Show time is 8 p.m. and tickets are $14 to $29. For more details, call The Dream Cafe at 250-490-9012.

The Mighty Quail Trail 100 kilometre single track trail run takes place Saturday, Sept. 30, starting at 7 a.m. The race starts along Skaha Lake, climbing 1,600 metres on grassland benches and forests, then back down to the bottom of the valley via trails and forest service roads. The event is not for beginners. Participants should have completed a 50 km race within the past year. There are some aid stations on the route, approximately every 20 kilometres, and runners should be prepared to go three to five hours between aid stations. All proceeds go to local charities. Cost is $100. For more information, go to the Mighty Quail website.

The Penticton Farmers' Market and the Penticton Downtown Community Market operate Saturday, Sept. 30, the Farmers' Market from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Community Market from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., both on Main Street.

Friends of the Gardens present Fire Wise Landscaping at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens, Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Learn to reduce wildfire vulnerability of your building and property with appropriate landscapes. You can register at www.summerlandgardens.org.

Singer-songwriter Linnea Good performs at Oasis United Church, Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. Cost is $15 in advance, $20 at the door, those under 18 are free. Find out more here.

The 2017 Baldy Marathon takes place Oct. 1. Choose from several different lengths, from 42.2 km down to a 10 km and a kid’s run, in a race that starts and finishes at the Festival of the Grape Wine Festival in Oliver. Register online here.

The Festival of the Grape takes place in Oliver’s Community Park on Sunday, Oct. 1 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, for entry to wine tasting from over 50 wineries, food trucks, an art show and sale, grape stomp, kid’s zone and a trade show. See the website for more information.

The first annual Zombie Walk and Games is taking place on Sunday, Oct. 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Gyro Park. There will be a zombie potato sack race, 50 metre lurch and a walk at 4 p.m. to complete the afternoon. The entry fee of $5 allows zombies to play as much as they like for the many prizes available. The event is presented by Penti-con.

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