Vernon, British Columbia sits in the North Okanagan where three lakes meet rolling grassland hills, and its compact downtown packs a public gallery, a community theatre and a regional concert hall within a few blocks. From mid November into the holidays, couples can trade notes on new art, laugh through a radio style Christmas play, hear live music in a modern hall and climb to a lake lookout just over the line in Coldstream. Each suggestion here was confirmed on the venue's own site on October 30, 2026.
New Art on 31st Avenue
Fall exhibitions at the Vernon Public Art Gallery: Three shows share the walls at 3228 31st Avenue until December 19. Bound to Birth presents work by Darian Goldin Stahl, Still features Andrea Zittlau, and Exposed! gathers pieces by the gallery's own members. Admission is by donation, and the doors are open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each of you can pick one piece to defend over a walk afterward, and the loser of the debate chooses the next stop.
Show and Tell Art Club: On Saturday, November 21 and again on Saturday, December 12, from 1 to 3 p.m., the gallery hosts a free club where people bring something they are working on and talk it through with fellow makers. All skill levels and creative practices are welcome. Bring a sketchbook you have both doodled in, or a half finished craft, and see what the room suggests.
Stories of Greater Vernon
Museum and Archives of Vernon: The museum at 3009 32nd Avenue has reopened a revived exhibit space, and its current temporary show, Battling the Blaze, takes a historic look at the front line of firefighting. Ways of Water explores the Grey Canal, which reshaped how land in the North Okanagan was settled and farmed, through the voices of people who lived alongside it. Hours are Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the building closed Sunday to Tuesday. For a cozy follow up at home, the online exhibit Women at Work traces a century of change in the city.
A Radio Play for the Holidays
A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol at the Powerhouse Theatre: Vernon's volunteer run community theatre at 2901 35th Avenue stages this holiday comedy from November 19 to 29. The story follows a fictional troupe trying to broadcast A Christmas Carol live on air, so you get Dickens and the backstage chaos of an old radio studio in one evening. The City events calendar lists opening night on Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. Afterward, try reading a line of Scrooge aloud in your best announcer voice on the drive home.
Live Music at the Performing Arts Centre
Folsom Prison Revisited: On Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m., this tribute recreates the Johnny Cash prison concert and the story around it at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, 3800 33rd Street.
The Celtic Tenors: A Celtic Christmas: The vocal trio brings a holiday set of ballads and reworked standards to the same stage on Saturday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Jesse Roper with the Pretty Good Band: For something louder, this Friday, December 4 show starts at 7:30 p.m.
A Coast to Coast Cowboy Christmas 2: George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett close out the pre holiday calendar with a country Christmas show on Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for all four concerts are sold through Ticket Seller, linked from each City listing.
Lookouts and Snowfields
Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, in nearby Coldstream: Just south of the city in the District of Coldstream, this provincial park protects North Okanagan grassland dotted with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, and BC Parks notes it rewards a visit in every season. The easy Crest Trail runs about a kilometre from the Jade and Juniper parking area to Rattlesnake Point, where a viewing platform with eight benches looks over the water. Steep cliffs line the route, so stay on the path, keep any dog on a leash and read the winter safety guide on the park page before a cold weather outing.
SilverStar Mountain Resort: The ski village above Vernon sits at 1,609 metres and counts 133 marked runs, all on natural snow, since the resort reports about 700 centimetres a year and makes none of its own. Opening dates for the 2026 to 27 season were not posted on the resort site when this list was checked, so look at its Hours of Operation page before planning a day on the hill.
Sample Date Itineraries
1. Paint and playbill (Saturday, November 21): Show and Tell Art Club at the gallery from 1 p.m. → a stroll through downtown → A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol at the Powerhouse Theatre that evening.
2. History and harmonies (Saturday, November 28): The Museum and Archives of Vernon before 4 p.m. → The Celtic Tenors at the Performing Arts Centre at 7:30.
3. Grassland and guitars (Friday, December 4): A midday walk to Rattlesnake Point in Coldstream → the gallery before 5 p.m. → Jesse Roper at 7:30.
Pro Tips for Memorable Dates
The museum is closed Sunday through Tuesday, and the gallery is closed Sunday and Monday, so plan art and history visits for midweek or Saturday.
Bring a little cash for the gallery donation box.
Rattlesnake Point has steep drop offs; wear boots with good grip and keep well back from the edge.
Concert listings on the City calendar link straight to the ticket seller, which is the easiest way to see remaining seats.
Check the SilverStar hours page for opening day before driving up the mountain.
The fall exhibitions end December 19, so do not leave the gallery until the last week.
Between a downtown gallery, a radio play and a lakeside lookout, Vernon makes it easy to fill a winter weekend side by side.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Photo credits: View over Vernon by Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Downtown Vernon by Nurmsook at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Polson Park, Vernon by Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.