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The quick read: Peachland was named Canada's Kindest Community earlier this year, beating out more than 800 communities across the country, and the prize is now arriving in person. The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan kicks off its national tour with a celebration in Peachland on Friday, November 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 5500 Clements Crescent, and the Central Okanagan Foundation has received $100,000 to support local needs in Peachland.

Peachland has a title no other community in Canada can claim this year.

It is Canada's Kindest Community, and on Friday, November 13, the reward rolls into town.

The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan kicks off its national tour with a celebration in Peachland, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 5500 Clements Crescent.

How Peachland won

The nationwide search drew 5,400 submissions from more than 800 unique communities.

Peachland came out on top, and the Central Okanagan Foundation was awarded $100,000 by Coca-Cola and Coke Canada Bottling, through Community Foundations of Canada, to directly support local needs in Peachland.

The announcement was made in February, and the caravan's special stop in Peachland was part of the prize from the start.

The Holiday Caravan began in Canada in 1999 as a single truck decorated with festive lights, and it has grown into a national tradition that visits hundreds of communities each year.

A small town that shows up for each other

There is a reason a town of Peachland's size can beat 800 other communities.

Kindness is not a slogan in a small town.

It is neighbours checking on each other, volunteers running the food bank, and people showing up when someone needs a hand.

Peachland earned this the hard way, one good deed at a time, and $100,000 staying in the community is the right kind of prize.

It goes to local needs, decided locally, instead of disappearing into a distant program.

Mark the calendar

The kick-off celebration runs Friday, November 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 5500 Clements Crescent.

The caravan will also be part of the Peachland Winter Light Up on Friday, December 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 5834 Beach Avenue.

The tour runs through December 24, but the first stop is the one that matters most to the Okanagan.

Peachland, Canada's Kindest Community, gets to show the rest of the country what that title looks like in person.

Sources: Coca-Cola Canada, February 4, 2026; Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan schedule.