Travellers in search of a fun, welcoming and inclusive place to go on their next vacation should look no further than British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan. This region in the southern interior of the province is home to wineries, natural wonders, great restaurants and accommodations—and an active 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
“I would say just come. It is a beautiful space,” said Dustyn Baulkham, a member of the community and a queer event organizer who is based in Kelowna. It, along with the urban centres of Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton and Osoyoos, are great places to visit in the fall and winter—and feature an active schedule of 2SLGBTQIA+ events.
“I always joke that Kelowna is a city that is still small enough that if you want to do something and have a substantial impact, you can do that,” he said.
Baulkham is the founder of Rebellious Unicorns, a company started in the fall of 2017 that hosts regular events throughout the Thompson Okanagan region, like Ella’s Naughty Bingo, hosted by Ella Lamoureux. The drag queen-led bingo game, where the prizes are sex toys, is one of Rebellious Unicorns mainstay events. There are several planned throughout the region in October, November and December.
“We did seven in the last month. That has become one of our fan favourites,” said Baulkham. “You get that queer element, but you don’t have to be queer. We always joke, ‘It’s not your grandma’s bingo, but grandma is always welcome.’ I love putting on these events so people can just come out and be themselves—whatever that looks like.”
Another Rebellious Unicorn mainstay is Peak Pride, a three-day festival that takes place at Sun Peaks, a ski resort near Kamloops. Taking place from Feb. 26 to March 1, 2026, this winter Pride celebration will feature a drag brunch, parade, drag show, a disco party called FruitCake and—because of its popularity—Ella’s Naughty Bingo.
Pride in this corner of British Columbia’s interior isn’t just a winter event. Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and Osoyoos all have local or regional organizations that host summer Pride festivals as well as events throughout the year to ensure their communities are welcoming and inclusive.
“Each of the Pride groups also do some events around under-marginalized groups in our community—whether it be trans, Indigenous or people of colour—where, outside of those Pride events, you do not see as much focused on those demographics,” said Baulkham, who also runs the Okanagan’s first 2SLGBTQIA+ cocktail nightclub, Friends of Dorothy Lounge, and organizes the Kelowna Pride festival. It attracts about 10,000 to 12,000 people each year.
He said the local Pride groups, along with word-of-mouth recommendations, is how he finds the businesses in the Thompson Okanagan to host Rebellious Unicorns events, which include dance parties and drag shows. Baulkham is also the host of the Queerprenuers Unleashed podcast, where he highlights queer entrepreneurs and businesses.
“We talk about the different experiences that we have; has their queer identity played into their business at all—some people say it has, some people say it hasn’t. We talk about what it means to be your authentic self. We talk about business.”
Among those locations he hosts his events at, or are welcoming to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, are Friends of Dorothy and Red Bird Brewing in Kelowna, Bright Eve Brewing in Kamloops, The Hub on Martin, Silverstar Brewing and The Winston Pub in Vernon, and District Wine Village and Firehall Brewery in Oliver (near Osoyoos).
“The businesses want to provide a fun space where people can just be themselves,” said Baulkham. “It also shows that these spaces are safe for the queer community. Because you don’t always know if a space is going to be welcoming to you when you come in with your same-sex partner, or if you can hold hands or be affectionate. It’s important to know people have a space they can go to and be their authentic selves.”
He said visitors to the Thomson Okanagan can learn more about local 2SLGBTQIA+ events and supporting businesses by visiting the websites of the local Pride associations, Rebellious Unicorn and Friends of Dorothy Lounge, following the Travelling Out in the Thompson Okanagan Instagram page (which lists several upcoming events such as comedy shows, drag events and fun runs), and looking up Rainbow Registered businesses in the community.
“Do a little research, but come and have fun,” said Baulkham. “I love what I do. I love giving back, being part of these things, and being able to have a positive impact on the communities we do our events in.”
To discover all the amazing things waiting to be enjoyed by 2SLGBTQIA+ visitors in the welcoming Thompson Okanagan region, visit travellingout.ca.
