Do you like to pair wine with Pride on your travels?

You're in luck.

The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and Okanagan Pride Society are joining forces to create a tourism-related event called Viva Las Pride.

The Vegas-style event, created by Okanagan College business students through their applied learning program, will not only spotlight 24 wineries from the Interior but also integrate mainstream acceptance and tap into Pride tourism from across British Columbia and Alberta.

Viva Las Pride will feature burlesque dancers, music, and blackjack and poker tables, and will take place at the Laurel Packinghouse (1304 Ellis Street, Kelowna) on August 16. Proceeds from the event will fund ongoing programs, such as the new youth initiative Etcetera Kelowna, which hosted the first Youth Diversity Prom on June 15.

The announcement of the event follows some unfortunate news. Okanagan Pride's board of directors announced on June 11 that they have decided to close Kelowna's Pride Centre (which opened in July 2008) on July 31 due to a decrease in funding from alcohol-related events.

Special licensed events became the centre's primary source of income. However, when the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch began to enforce only two licenses per month, the centre became unable to cover costs.

The society will continue to operate without a building.

The Okanagan Pride Festival, which includes Transgender Day and a drag competition, takes place from August 11 to 17.