Peace Fibre Fest to return in 2026 for yarn enthusiasts

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Those invested in all types of activities related to yarn can celebrate, as an event for Peace region enthusiasts returns in 2026.

The sixth Peace Fibre Fest will take over the Dawson Creek Curling Club on Sunday, April 26th.

Co-founder of the event, Lou Lachance, alongside business partner Cindy Dechief, run Faking Sanity, a yarn and used book shop in Dawson Creek they founded back in 2010.

Lachance told Energeticcity.ca the first Peace Fibre Fest, organized in 2019, was due to the lack of yarn art extravaganzas in the north.

The pair met in Calgary during their university days, and both shared a love of knitting and crocheting inherited from their grandmothers.

“There are lots of [fibre fests] down south, but there were none up here,” said Lachance. “Cindy grew up in Dawson. When we moved up here, we had thought we’d like to start something like that up here.

“We just ran with the thought and hoped for the best.”

Lachance says the Peace Fibre Fest focuses on having between 20 and 30 vendors every year, with at least 10 of those from the Peace region.

Over the years, the event has included vendors from Manitoba, Whitehorse, Calgary and Vancouver. 

“Our target market is knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and felters,” said Lachance. “[Either] people who use yarn or who make yarn.”

While Lachance says some people may be intimidated by attempting to knit or crochet, it’s actually quite a therapeutic hobby.

“A lot of people assume it’s harder than it is,” says Lachance. “But we’ve had kids as young as six take our knitting or crochet classes and run with it. It is not as complex as it seems. 

“I like to remind people, when life gets too busy, it’s a great way to take some time and slow down. In the knitting world, it’s very common to spend 30-60 hours on a pair of socks or a sweater. Enjoy your time, don’t just spend it all on a screen.”

For its 2026 edition, sponsors will include Atelier Nekozuki, an Alberta-based company who creates handbags and more using authentic Japanese fabrics it re-sources from trips to Japan.

It also will include yarn dyeing courtesy of That Yarn Habit and wooden craft maker Findlay Family Makes.

There will be instructional sessions for both the newer knitters and the more experienced, and door prizes will be drawn for attendees.

The 2026 Peace Fibre Fest goes Sunday, April 26th from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Dawson Creek Curling Club at 1113 106th Avenue in Dawson Creek.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for door prize giveaways. For further details, visit the Peace Fibre Fest’s website.