Okanagan Military Tattoo forges on to Vancouver

Published 4:00 pm Friday, February 20, 2026

A decade-long Vernon summertime attraction is marching south.

The Okanagan Military Tattoo, after 11 years at Kal Tire Place, is relocating to Vancouver, citing financial sustainability challenges.

The event will now be known as the British Columbia Tattoo and is partnering with the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) to run the event on the opening weekend of the PNE, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23.

“Rising operational costs made continuation in Vernon unsustainable,” said Tattoo founder Norm Crerar. “The increased venue rental fees at Kal Tire Place and insufficient ticket sales revenues to cover expenses caused us to look elsewhere.”

The relocation, said Crerar, comes after 20 months of exploring alternative options.

“The partnership with the PNE represents a strategic move to a larger market with greater audience potential and an established entertainment infrastructure,” he said.

Crerar added that the move from the Okanagan Valley to Metro Vancouver “significantly expands the event’s potential reach, positioning it within Canada’s third-largest metropolitan area.”

The PNE partnership provides:

• Access to established venue facilities;

• Integration with a major annual fair attracting over one million visitors;

• Enhanced visibility and promotional opportunities;

• Opening weekend prominence at a beloved B.C. institution.

The British Columbia Tattoo will be held at the PNE Agrodome for one show, 6:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23. There will be four appearances at an outdoor stage between 12 and 5 p.m., with a variety of the performing groups making a short, very public performance.

Crerar said there will also be a parade of the brass and reed bands, pipes and drums, plus dancers and other performers through the fair grounds leading up to the main show.

The tattoo, along with events such as Creative Chaos, the Vernon Winter Carnival, the Vernon Farmers Market, and the Western Canadian Taekwon-do Championships, expressed their frustrations with the City of Vernon and the rental fees charged for hosting events at Kal Tire Place in 2025.