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British Columbia

Mist opportunity: Festival celebrates foggy November days in Hope, B.C.

Riley Formanis one of the people behind Fog Fest, a month-long event in Hope, B.C., that invites people toembrace the fog.

Viewing spots are being recommended as part of the festival, includingKawkawa Lake, Centennial Park Lookout

A sun gleams through fog above water, surrounded by tree silhouettes.
Riverfront Park in Vancouver is pictured in the early morning fog, in October 2020. Riley Forman of Fog Fest says British Columbians should embrace foggy weather. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

November can be a time of year when fog rolls across British Columbia, along with cooler temperatures.

Riley Forman thinks that rather than being seen as gloomy, foggy weathershould be celebrated.

Formanis one of the people behind Fog Fest, a month-long event in Hope, B.C., that invites people toembrace the fog.

"For years and years I've always felt that fog needs to be solddifferently," Forman, CEO of Connect Media, told CBC's The Early Edition.

"It's stunning. For photographers and artists it'sespeciallyvaluablefor them and no one's ever talked about it. BritishColumbia is foggy from November to March. So we should enjoy it. We should find a way to embrace it."

Forman says Hope,about 150 kilometres east of Vancouver,and the surrounding area where clouds hang onto the mountainsides are the perfect setting for a fog fest.

A well-lit street bridge is seen through fog in the nighttime.
The Cambie Bridge in Vancouver is pictured in January 2018. Riley Forman of Connect Media says Hope, about 150 kilometres east of Vancouver, and the surrounding area are the perfect setting for a fog fest. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

"Hope's geography andthe way the weather systems work, there's this beautiful layerof fogup thevalleys and canyons ...that looks stunning," he said.

As part of the festival, the Hope, Cascades & Canyons Tourismwebsite offers a number of recommended viewing spots, includingKawkawa Lake andCentennial Park Lookout.

Forman, who was born and raised in the Fraser Canyon,says the festival is not only offeringmisty scenery, it'salso hoping to capturea feeling: coziness.

The festival will highlight restaurants serving comfort food like French onion soup and lodgings with snug surroundings, and maybe a little live music for damp fall days.

Connect Media CEO Riley Forman speaks with Stephen Quinn about the festival.

"If you're going anywhere in November in the Pacific Northwest, you're looking for something cozy like a cabin. We have those offerings."

Forman says the festival has heard from painters, photographers and online influencers looking totake in the misty surroundings.

"They're always looking for that kind of new visual kind of perspective and that's what Fog Fest is."

With files from The Early Edition