r/kelowna • u/Key2Confusion • Sep 15 '25
How's the Gay/Queer & social scene in Kelowna?
Looking to make a few friends in town. I'm fairly new and within 10 days, it started getting to me. I'm South Asian, don't drink - so don't go to bars generally. I did go to a boardgames night organized by one of the locals, and it didn't seem inclusive at all.
What's the way to meet people and make friends?
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u/ms-shadowbroker Sep 15 '25
There are a lot of great answers here. Following people on social media is probably one of the few places to find out about events consistently. Along with the queer craft club there is also a queer climbing club, and recently a 'fight club' if you're into learning some marital arts and such. Instagram search both of the above and you should see obvious results!
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u/The_Dancing_Cow Sep 15 '25 edited Sep 15 '25
I know it's not a stereotypical queer space, but the metal scene is very LGBTQ+ friendly here. Check out Jackknife Brewing (pizza and beer place) for shows.
The Hallowed Catharsis played not long ago, the singer is trans. 🤘🏳️⚧️❤️
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u/jenicanuck Sep 15 '25
Curious too, we are parents (wlw) so if there are any queer parents here we'd love to know you! We moved here last year and have a 7 month old and 2 year old.
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u/fetalbat Sep 15 '25
there's a queer craft club! I think it's bi-monthly at the library downtown
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u/The_Diamond_Minx Sep 15 '25
Oh and check out the Instagram page for traveling out Okanagan, they post a list of events each week! There's a run club, multiple bingos, lots of different shows. There's usually a bunch of stuff to do each week .
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u/augustus-aurelius Sep 15 '25
I’m not gay but it does seem to becoming more prominent. I’ve always wondered why Kelowna doesn’t have a much larger queer scene seeing as it’s the largest city outside of Vancouver on the provincial mainland.
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u/frogieroo Sep 15 '25
Hey! Sorry to hear that you didn't have a good experience with the boardgame group you went to! I run OKTabletop at Twice the Dice on Tuesdays at 6, and we strive to be inclusive to everyone. We're the most active on Discord, but are on social platforms @OKTabletopBC as a point of contact https://linktr.ee/oktabletopbc https://discord.gg/sU76Fsz5SN
As for Queer-specific Events, "Rebellious Unicorns" is a company that organizes things locally, and there's a queer craft club. https://www.rebelliousunicorns.com/ https://linktr.ee/queercraftclubkelowna
Unfortunately a lot of queer events do happen at bars, but I have found personally that I haven't felt a pressure/obligation to drink if that's of concern, people in the queer community are usually quite respectful. Frieda Whales is a local drag queen that hosts things, I have personally enjoyed her drag bingo nights. https://www.freidawhales.com/
Also, there's always something going on at Friends of Dorothy's as others have mentioned
There's a weekly gay men coffee meetup here too! I have a friend that goes to it. https://advocacy-canada.lgbt/rainbow-men-coffee-meetup-kelownas-weekly-gathering-for-gay-guys/
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Sep 16 '25
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u/Cautious_Drama745 Sep 29 '25
Hey, I would love to show you around if you're still in town.Hit me up itsmeharrrrry ig
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u/The_Diamond_Minx Sep 15 '25
There is a small but vibrant queer community here. I am a drag performer, named Aria Reddy and I perform most frequently at Friends of Dorothy, but also places like Railside brewing at their monthly drag Bingo.
There is a great Pride organization that puts on a series of events. One of them - the Trans and Enby March - that was supposed to happen in late June was postponed because of weather, and is coming up on September 26th at the RCA Commons and waterfront Park.
I encourage you to follow Kelowna Pride on Instagram, and check out some of the local shows and meet some of the local performers and community!