The Vernon Parkade will once again be transformed into a dynamic venue of alternative arts for one night only Saturday, Aug. 25.
Riot on the Roof has been a success since its inception a decade ago. The event was first created to fill a need in the community — to provide accessible cultural experiences to the public, as well as provide a venue for young artists to perform and exhibit their art. After ten tears of growing the event and building momentum with young audiences, there are no signs of slowing down and this year the organizers promise to not disappoint.
Gallery Youth Ambassadors and UBCO Fine Arts students Carmen Winther and Peter Navratil have been working hard to make sure Riot is as good as or better than in previous years, which have attracted more than 700 attendees. There will be some familiar performers at this year’s event, but there will be new artists as well.
“We are so excited to have Kelowna’s Andrew Judah perform. They are a talented folk indie rock band with a great following,” said Carmen Winther, youth ambassador.
“We have an incredible arrangement of artists this year, including students and professors from UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Squids, Cody Rueger, Kailee McGuire, Randy Jerni, Kin Folk, The Poetry Elf, Knupunk, Thomas McIsaac, Ginger Snapp, Heidi Smith, and many more.”
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Each parkade level hosts an array of talent, showcasing art in all its forms. This year guest can expect to see live art and music, dance, poetry, comedy, installation and performance art. The very top level of the parkade is the main stage for a great line-up of bands to perform, while the levels below are designated to be creative art-making places that include both artist and audience participation. Once the sun starts to set, the parkade becomes an interactive, energized art space.
“It’s been customary for many years now to also have graffiti and mural artists fill a wall space of the parkade that stay permanently for the enjoyment of parkade users. It’s like a small version of walking Toronto’s Graffiti Alley. This is what young artists want to see and do,” said Dauna Kennedy Grant, executive director.
“The Gallery simply doesn’t have the capacity to offer a space for exploration of this capacity, so we have taken to the parkade and created something unique to the North Okanagan. Riot on the Roof is a safe, dry, inclusive event for youth and young adults to explore art in various forms and just have a good time.”
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Riot on the Roof takes place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Vernon Parkade above the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Tickets are $10 for Gallery members and early-bird purchasers by Aug. 17 or $15 for non-members. Tickets are available online at www.vernonpublicartgallery.com.
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