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Okanagan Centre for the Performing Arts

Home > Our community > Planning & projects > Okanagan Centre for the Performing Arts

Okanagan Centre for the Performing Arts Planning

The Okanagan Centre for the Performing Arts (OCPA) Strategic Plan aims to provide a roadmap for a future OCPA for Kelowna – a facility envisioned to strengthen the city’s cultural ecosystem and enhance access to exceptional performing arts experiences.

The OCPA Strategic Plan aims to provide the foundations for a shared vision for a future OCPA – including its mandate, governance approach, key audiences, and next steps for its development. This project is in the planning and discovery phase only, and it is not currently funded in Kelowna’s 10-year capital plan.

Although key groundwork has already been laid through earlier studies and community input, the Strategic Plan will focus on validating critical elements and ensuring all partners share a unified direction before any new phase of investment.

The Strategic Plan will chart the path from the current stage through to construction, should Council provide direction to advance the project. The Plan will provide clarity on decision points, enabling conditions, and sequencing – providing internal teams, Council, and community stakeholders a clear view of how the project could advance.

Project Scope

  • An environmental scan to confirm market dynamics and key stakeholders, highlighting where additional engagements will be required.
  • Engaging prospective users to learn more about their requirements (e.g., commercial touring productions, national dance and theatre companies, independent music producers and promoters).
  • Peer learning by consulting with comparable facilities to identify relevant lessons regarding vision, scale, operations, and governance.
  • Creating a clear, actionable plan: a sequenced list of activities leading to construction, including key stakeholders, timelines (per stage gates), dependencies, and risks.  

Current Phase of Work

The OCPA Strategic Planning process is currently focused on ecosystem mapping and targeted interest-holder engagement to inform the development of the strategic roadmap.

As the work progresses, the City will continue to provide updates and share engagement opportunities through this page. Additional information, including FAQs and future opportunities to participate may be posted as the project moves forward.

Project Background

  • Over the years, numerous public engagements have highlighted the need for performance spaces in addition to the Kelowna Community Theatre (KCT)’s 850-seat capacity.
  • Feasibility studies, preliminary design exploration, and related analyses – including work by Colliers Project Leaders, Nordicity, Revelry, and others – have explored options for a new or expanded performing arts facility in Kelowna.
  • In 2023, City Council established the Community Task Force on Performing Arts to explore the need for expanded performance spaces beyond the existing Kelowna Community Theatre (KCT).
  • Drawing on community and stakeholder input and additional research, the Task Force found Kelowna will face significant limitations on future growth of the performing arts without a larger venue, as the KCT is not big enough to attract larger productions. Additionally, their research highlighted that creating opportunities for additional performances would have a positive economic, cultural, and social impact on Kelowna.
  • The Task Force’s recommendations, presented to Council on December 9, 2024, included upgrading the KCT and planning for a new Okanagan Centre for the Performing Arts (OCPA) at a separate site – targeting 150,000 sq ft of space with a 1600 soft seat auditorium. Sites considered included a downtown Kelowna greenspace, Pioneer Gardens, on Water Street – the preferred site – and the parking lot of city hall, at the Rotary Centre, and at Rutland’s Roxby Square.
  • Following the Task Force’s recommendations, City Council instructed City staff to work on an implementation plan, including stakeholder integration, location analysis, functional space analysis, planning and design. Mayor has also instructed City staff to revisit site selection to consider alternative locations.
  • This project – the OCPA Strategic Plan – will build on previous studies to and provide a practical roadmap to guide the project.
  • Separately, the volunteer organization Kelowna Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre Society continues to advocate for and build public support for the project.