By Natalie Grant · In partnership with Discover Naramata

Naramata’s best season might be the one you’ve been missing. Where to eat, drink, wander and gather this October—plus the little stops worth taking along the way.

Ask most people when to visit Naramata and they’ll tell you summer. We’d make a case for October.

The vines are turning. Harvest is happening behind cellar doors. The lake is quieter, dinner stretches a little longer and the village settles into that lovely in-between season when you can actually slow down enough to notice where you are.

This year, there’s another reason to go. From October 2–12, the inaugural Naramata Gathers brings food, wine, harvest, art and community together across Naramata Village and the Bench.

There isn’t one place to be. There isn’t one ticket to buy. And there certainly isn’t one way you’re supposed to do it. Which is exactly what we like about it.

The idea is simple: pick your own Naramata adventure

Come for an afternoon. Stay for dinner. Make a weekend of it. Pick the theatre performance, harvest celebration or tasting you’d be disappointed to miss, then leave some room around it.

Because in Naramata, the part you didn’t plan is often the part you’ll remember.

So consider this our edit.

Not every event. Not every winery. Not every possible stop.

Just the things we’d build a day around—and the little places we’d slip into along the way.

We call those Editors’ Detours.

START HERE: PICK YOUR NARAMATA ADVENTURE

The temptation when there’s this much happening is to fill the calendar.

Don’t.

Our approach to Naramata Gathers is considerably simpler:

Book the anchors. Leave the rest alone.

Have a few hours? Pick an event and add a Detour.

Have the day? Start in the village, make your way onto the Bench and stay for dinner.

Staying overnight? Even better. Make dinner the destination and give yourself somewhere lovely to wake up the next morning.

However long you have, leave space for the shop you didn’t know existed, the tasting room you pass along the way or the person who tells you where you should go next.

That’s really the point.

OPENING WEEKEND

OCTOBER 2–4

If you’re looking for a weekend with plenty of ways to build your own Naramata adventure, this is a good place to start.

FRIDAY: DINNER, THEN A SHOW

There is something particularly good about arriving in Naramata on a Friday afternoon with nowhere else you need to be.

Check in. Drop your bags.

Then pick your evening.

From October 2–4, One Man Pride & Prejudice takes over Tempest Theatre, with Charles Ross tackling Jane Austen’s much-loved story—and its characters—solo.

If dinner is the main event, The Kitchen at Da Silva Vineyards is offering its Chef’s Choice Menu through October 10, leaving what’s on the plate entirely in the chef’s hands.

And at Naramata Inn, Bistro Lapin Perdu’s Naramata Gathers Menu runs October 2–12, making it an easy reason to let dinner become the evening.

This is one of those nights when dinner doesn’t need to happen before or after the plans.

Dinner is the plan. Dine first, then take your seat for the show.

EDITOR’S DETOUR → NARAMATA GENERAL STORE

Build the hotel-room after-party.

Before disappearing for the evening, stop at the Naramata General Store.

Pick up a local bottle, cheese, something salty, something sweet and whatever else catches your eye for later.

Then take it back to your room.

The best hotel-room nightcaps rarely require a cocktail shaker.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

CHOOSE ONE GOOD THING

Saturday is where the possibilities multiply.

There’s Oktoberfest at Howling Bluff Winery, a family-friendly gathering at Real Things Pizza × Yanti, and live music with Joshua Smith at Modesta Winery.

And people are clearly catching on.

Two of Saturday’s anticipated gatherings have already filled their seats: Friends & Flannel at Just Baked 9 Mile × Elephant Island Winery is SOLD OUT, as is Chefs for Farmers at Poplar Grove Winery.

Missed out? Don’t worry.

That’s exactly why we’re not building this guide around tickets alone.

Choose something that sounds like you, then build loosely around it. Stop somewhere small. Wander the village. Find somewhere you haven’t been before. Stay for dinner.

Naramata Gathers isn’t about getting into everything. It’s about making something of the time you’re here.

EDITOR’S DETOUR → SHADES OF LINEN

The kind of souvenir you’ll actually wear.

If you’re wandering Robinson Avenue, step inside Shades of Linen.

The little village boutique specializes in natural-fibre clothing and accessories, including original designs made right here in Naramata.

This is the kind of detour we like: small, local and something you probably weren’t searching for when you planned a weekend in wine country.

Check seasonal October hours before visiting.

EDITOR’S DETOUR → NARAMATA THRIFT STORE

Go looking for absolutely nothing.

This may be our most literal detour.

The volunteer-run Naramata Thrift Store is filled with an ever-changing mix of clothing, books, household pieces, décor and the occasional thing you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.

Proceeds support community initiatives in Naramata, which makes rummaging around for twenty minutes feel even better.

Wine tasting can wait.

Check seasonal hours before visiting.

HAVE AN AFTERNOON?

This is where Naramata Gathers works particularly well.

Pick one event.

Add a tasting if you want one.

Then deliberately leave a gap.

The temptation in wine country is to measure a successful afternoon by how many places you managed to visit.

We’d argue the opposite.

Stay for the second glass.

Talk to the person pouring it.

Look at the view.

You’re allowed to be late for nothing.

EDITOR’S DETOUR → CORMIER’S STUDIO – GALLERY & GARDEN

Trade the tasting room for an artist’s studio.

Wine gets most of the attention on the Naramata Bench, but it’s far from the only thing being made here.

Cormier’s offers another glimpse into Naramata’s creative community—and exactly the kind of place we’d stop simply because we were already nearby.

If the studio is open during your visit, go in.

That’s the point of a detour.

Seasonal hours vary; check ahead.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

MAKE IT A VILLAGE DAY

Sunday is the day we’d slow everything down.

The Gather in the Village Pop-Up Market runs from 1–4 PM, bringing together village shops, market vendors and artists, along with pulled-pork sandwiches from Naramata General Store.

Make that the anchor.

Everything around it can be beautifully unproductive.

Walk Robinson Avenue. Browse. Get something to eat. Stop because something looks interesting rather than because it’s on your itinerary.

Take something home that isn’t a bottle of wine.

Browse slowly.

4th Meridian mixes art, studio pottery, vintage and antique finds, books, textiles and locally made goods in a tiny village shop that rewards anyone willing to poke around.

This is not necessarily a ten-minute stop if you like old things.

You’ve been warned.

HAVE A RANDOM TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY? EVEN BETTER.

Not everyone needs a weekend.

In fact, the quieter days may be one of the best ways to experience Naramata Gathers.

From October 6–9, Playlist Lavender Farm hosts its Lavender Farmer & Craft Experience, available by advance booking.

The Chef’s Choice Menu continues at The Kitchen through October 10, while Bistro Lapin Perdu’s Naramata Gathers menu runs throughout Naramata Gathers.

This may actually be the insider version.

Fewer people.

Fewer plans.

More Naramata.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9

PICK YOUR NIGHT

Friday gives you three very different directions.

There’s Plein Air Painting in the Vineyard at Nichol Winery × Naramata Arts Studio, Secret Lives of Naramatians (SOLD OUT): Open Mic & Variety Show at The Burrow – Reservations for Secret Lives of Naramatians are by email: gretathethird@icloud.com, and Comedy Night with Big Daddy Tazz at Red Rooster Winery.

Art.

Stories.

Comedy.

Choose according to your mood.

Then leave the rest of the night alone.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

OCTOBER 10–12

This is when Naramata Gathers shifts fully into harvest mode.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10

THE GATHERING

At The Burrow (FREE EVENT) at Naramata Inn, award-winning cellist Marina Hasselberg plays three sets in a free evening of music. Doors open at 5 PM and the show starts at 6 PM, with wine, beer, cocktails and snacks on hand.

And The Bistro at Hillside Winery is serving Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, October 10, from 5 to 8 PM. Call 250-487-1350 to reserve.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11

THIS IS HARVEST

If you want to see the side of Naramata that summer visitors often miss, Sunday may be your day.

Start with the Gather: Harvest Market at Modesta Winery, then make your way into Roll Out the Barrel with the Naramata Bench Wineries Association.

This is a chance to experience wine country while harvest is actually happening—not simply tasting the finished bottle, but getting a glimpse at what’s underway behind the scenes.

This is the Naramata you don’t necessarily see in July.

Less about rushing between patios.

More about what’s being picked, crushed, made and put away for another vintage.

Take your time.

EDITOR’S DETOUR → FOLLOW THE SMALL SIGN

This one doesn’t come with an address.

Between the things you’ve planned, keep an eye out for the little things: an open farm stand, a studio sign, a small shop, somewhere serving lunch or a tasting room you haven’t heard of before.

Pull over.

See what’s there.

Because sometimes the best Editor’s Detour is the one we didn’t plan for you.

SUNDAY NIGHT

THANKSGIVING DINNER

Eventually, there should be dinner.

This Thanksgiving Weekend, you have two good tables to choose from. The Bistro at Hillside Winery is serving Thanksgiving dinner on October 10 and 11, from 5 to 8pm; call 250-487-1350 to reserve. And on October 11, Bistro Lapin Perdu at Naramata Inn is offering its own Thanksgiving dinner.

Reserve ahead.

Then settle in.

If you’ve done the weekend right, you’ve spent it with a few plans, a few detours and enough space between them to actually enjoy where you are.

THE EDITORS’ NOTES

Book the anchors. Leave the rest alone.

This is probably our most important piece of advice.

Book the theatre performance.

Reserve dinner.

Buy the ticket for the event you’d be disappointed to miss.

Then stop.

You can’t wander into the shop you didn’t know existed if every 45 minutes of your day is already spoken for.

Shop small while you’re here.

Naramata isn’t just wineries.

It’s artists and makers. Restaurants and bakeries. Shops, farms, accommodations and small businesses run by people who live here.

If something is open, go in.

Buy the loaf.

Try on the jacket.

Pick up the pottery.

Order lunch.

Those little stops are part of the destination, too.

Make dinner part of the itinerary.

Don’t treat dinner as what happens after your plans.

During Naramata Gathers, dinner can be one of the plans.

Reserve accordingly.

If you’re tasting, plan the drive first.

Choose a designated driver or arrange transportation before the first tasting—not after the last one.

If it rains, keep the plans.

October weather is part of the appeal.

Theatre, long dinners, cellar tastings, shops, studios and market stops all work rather well with a grey sky.

Bring a coat.

Bring an umbrella.

Keep going.

YOUR NARAMATA. YOUR WAY.

Perhaps that’s what we like most about Naramata Gathers.

There isn’t one way to do it.

You could come for theatre and dinner.

Spend an afternoon tasting.

Make Sunday about the market and village shops.

Build an entire weekend around harvest.

Or book one thing, check into somewhere lovely and figure out the rest when you arrive.

That’s the point.

Pick your own Naramata adventure.

Come for something you’ve planned.

Leave room for something you haven’t.

And when you see our little yellow EDITOR’S DETOUR → along the way?

Take it.

Chances are, that’s where things get interesting.

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Naramata Gathers: October 2–12, 2026

Start with one anchor. Some experiences require tickets or reservations, while others are designed to simply drop into. Book the one thing you don’t want to miss, then build around it.

Don’t count on tickets at the door. Friends & Flannel and Chefs for Farmers are already sold out. If there’s a ticketed event on your list, book ahead.

Dinner deserves a reservation. If you’re planning to end the day at Bistro Lapin Perdu, The Kitchen or another Naramata restaurant, reserve before you arrive—especially over Thanksgiving weekend

Check seasonal hours. October is shoulder season in Naramata, and hours can vary for shops, studios, tasting rooms and smaller businesses. Check directly with your Editor’s Detour before heading over.

Plan your ride before your wine. If tasting is part of the day, designate a driver or arrange transportation in advance. Naramata’s experiences are spread between the village and the Bench, so don’t assume you’ll be walking between them.

Dress for October. Think layers, a proper jacket and shoes you’re happy wearing on vineyard paths and village walks. An umbrella isn’t a bad addition.

Leave room for the detour. The best way to experience Naramata Gathers isn’t necessarily to fit in the most. One event, a good meal and somewhere unexpected along the way can be plenty.

Before you leave: Check the latest Naramata Gathers schedule for event updates, tickets and reservations.

Plan your Naramata Gathers visit

Naramata Gathers runs October 2–12, 2026 throughout Naramata Village and the Naramata Bench. Events and seasonal business hours can change, so check Discover Naramata’s latest schedule and individual businesses before heading out.

Published October 1, 2026. We’ll be updating this guide throughout Naramata Gathers as our editors discover new events, openings and Editor’s Detours.

Photography: All images featured in this editorial were provided by Discover Naramata and approved for use by Editors’ Picks Okanagan.