During Downtown Discovery Week, we’re inviting locals and visitors alike to become tourists in the city and discover the stories hiding in plain sight — on lands that have been home to the Syilx Okanagan people since time immemorial, and continue to be today.

From historic buildings to familiar landmarks, this self-guided downtown adventure will take you to places you may walk past every day without realizing the role they played in shaping our community. At each stop, scan a QR code to uncover a piece of Kelowna’s history and learn about the people, industries, and moments that helped build the Downtown we know today — while recognizing that these stories exist within a much deeper, ongoing relationship to this land.

For the Syilx Okanagan people, this place has always been more than a destination — it is part of a living system of connection to land, water, culture, and community. Downtown Discovery Week offers a chance to not only explore the city’s built history, but to reflect on the many layers of story, knowledge, and presence that continue to shape it.

Your journey begins at the Ogopogo Statue — a symbol of storytelling, identity, and the layered histories of this place. While widely recognized today as a playful local icon, its origins trace back to the story of N’ha-a-itk, a powerful spirit of the lake within Syilx Okanagan oral traditions. Starting here invites you to look beyond what’s familiar and consider the deeper stories that shape our community.

Pick up your Discovery map, snap a photo, and begin your route from here. Thanks to our partners at Lime, bike and scooter discounts will also be available throughout the week, making it easier to move between locations and experience downtown at your own pace.

Visit locations, check in along the way, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $300 Downtown Kelowna prize pack.

Whether you’re discovering downtown for the first time or seeing it with fresh eyes, you might be surprised by what you uncover — and the stories, past and present, that continue to live here.