Hundreds of people take in Penticton’s inaugural Maple Festival

Published 3:42 pm Saturday, March 7, 2026

When David Parent became the principal of École Entre-lacs in August 2025, he wondered how he could get the Penticton Francophone school more involved in the community.

“How can I get this school back on the map? How can I get people to talk about this school, and come to this school?” he recounted asking himself.

After reaching out to Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan, he was quick to get his answers.

The centre hosts Maple Festival in Kelowna every year, but on Saturday, March 7, it brought the event to Penticton for the first time, setting up shop at École Entre-lacs and shining a light on Francophone culture.

More than 400 people were in attendance.

“This is more of a success than I imagined it, so next year is going to be bigger and better,” Parent said. “To see people coming through the school and enjoying my culture is beautiful to see.”

The festival welcomed people of all ages — including students and staff of the school — and featured live music, maple cotton candy, taffy, tarts, crepes, workshops and outdoor games.

Its arrival in Penticton comes after Parent teamed up with Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan ahead of the school year.

“The bigger we are together, the more we can spread the culture of French,” he said.

Parent, who grew up in Quebec, said parts of the event reminded him of his youth. He recalled eating maple-flavoured taffy, just like the kids in attendance on Saturday, in his hometown about 10 hours north of Montreal.

“I think around 80 per cent of maple syrup is harvested in Quebec, so for French people, it is part of our culture,” Parent noted. “I wanted to show my culture to the community of Penticton.”

Students at the school spent weeks preparing for the event.

Among their projects ahead of Saturday were making maple syrup tarts and educational posters for guests to read.

The school’s theatre club also produced a short film about maple, Parent added.

“I really want this school to be part of the community, and I want the community to be part of this school as well,” he said.

École Entre-lacs is located at 1213 Debeck Rd., off Penticton Avenue and behind McNicoll Park.