From Laurel Packhouse to Year-Round Cultural Engine: Denim on the Diamond Returns as $4M+ Economic Driver for Kelowna

KELOWNA, BC 

When Thick As Thieves Entertainment (TATE) produced its first small event at the Laurel Packhouse in 2016, the goal was simple: bring friends together for a fun night of music. This weekend, September 11–13, that grassroots mission comes full circle as Denim on the Diamond returns to Kelowna City Park, projected to generate between $4 million and $5 million in total economic impact for the region.

The return of Denim on the Diamond highlights the growth of a local family-and-friends business that has evolved into a year-round economic driver for the Okanagan. Beyond Denim, TATE now produces major regional signature events including AltiTunes Apres Ski Music Fest, The Garden Party, and The Rose Disco Kelowna, as well as last year’s national marquee event CCMA House: Live at Waterfront Park in 2025. Together, these events inject tens of millions into the regional economy annually while providing year-round employment and income for hundreds of local hospitality, production, and service workers.

This weekend alone, over 200 paid staff members, crew, security personnel, and vendors will be on-site working in City Park.

Local family company

“Life gets busy, and we started this so we could get something on all our friends calendars to make sure we prioritized getting together. When we did our first outdoor event at King Stadium we were way over our heads so the friends we invited ended up working the entire weekend helping build site and stages, and today it’s still run by our friends and families – parents, brothers, our kids, and nieces working side by side to turn a park into a festival site,” says Kurt Jory, co-owner of Thick as Thieves.

“To see something that started at the Laurel Packhouse grow into a company that employs hundreds of local hospitality workers across events like AltiTunes, Rose Disco Kelowna, and Denim is incredibly rewarding. A significant portion of every ticket or purchase on site at our events stays right here supporting local families and Okanagan suppliers.

It’s also personal. Kurt’s spouse, Amanda, is our Director of Operations and runs the team, design and site, their son Joey works with us now too. My niece Emyrsen moved from Manitoba to attend UBCO, and she works with us. Kurt’s dad Wayne and brother Derek have been with us since day one, and so have my parents and brothers. Even Kurt’s nephew Denver and members of Denver’s basketball team work our events to raise money for their team’s basketball tournaments and season.” stated Mitch Carefoot, co-owner of Thick as Thieves.

Jules Quesnel, Marketing Director for Thick as Thieves adds “I came on around four years ago, right around TATE’s sixth year of events, and what pulled me in wasn’t just the festivals themselves,  it was watching how much this team genuinely cares about the community around them. I started on the artist hospitality and merch team. Now I’m running marketing, and I still feel it every event, the camaraderie on this team, and knowing the work we’re doing actually means something here”

Giving back to the community

Beyond the festival stage, TATE’s roots in the Okanagan extend far outside the festival site boundary. Over the years, Thick As Thieves has directly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local causes including music therapy programs at KGH’s McNair Psychiatric Ward and Spring Valley Care Center for seniors, the YMCA’s Beyond the Bell after-school program, Mama’s for Mamas, Powder Hounds Adaptive Skiing, and the Central Okanagan Food Bank. The team has also donated its production expertise and time to help produce and emcee fundraising events  including the Homebase Celebrity Softball Game and Slo-Pitch Tournament for KGH’s Joanna’s House, which raised more than $746,000 before the event’s retirement.

When wildfires forced evacuations across Summerland and the South Okanagan earlier this year, TATE paused business as usual to activate its team and resources in support of evacuees. The team coordinated with its vendors and suppliers to get cube vans, filled them with clothing and hygiene products and spent days driving back and forth down to Penticton and Peachland to get them into the hands of families in need.

Supporting local artists

This year’s festival also spotlights emerging local talent through BEEM Believes, presenting sponsor BEEM Credit Union’s initiative that gives Okanagan artists the opportunity to perform on the Denim mainstage alongside the festival’s national headliners.  This year’s local or regional artists include Lighthouse Rd, Ayla Jean, Brooklyn Rae, Brock Thomas, GSNAY, VIE, KLNZ.

Ten years after that first night at Laurel Packhouse, the mission hasn’t changed,  just the size of the crowds.

The three-day festival is expected to attract over 12,000 total attendee-days and generate thousands of hotel room nights during a key shoulder season for Kelowna tourism.

Kelowna City Park parking will be closed off for the weekend.

2026 Lineup Highlights:

• Friday, Sept 11 (Dance): Ian Asher, Wuki, Eli & Fur, GSNAY, VIE
• Saturday, Sept 12 (Country): Nate Smith, Goldie Boutilier, MC4D, Kates Outlaw, Ayla Jean
• Sunday, Sept 13 (Rock & Family Day): The Man, Liam St. John, Jimi, Lighthouse Rd, Brock Thomas (Free admission for kids 10 & under)

Single-day, multi-day, and weekend passes remain available online at www.denimonthediamond.com