Thanksgiving Back Revelstoke Cycling Association Dig Day

Thanksgiving Back

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Volunteer & Stay for Free.

Thanksgiving Back is an opportunity to be part of Revelstoke's strong community by volunteering with local organizations on registered volunteer projects. As a thank-you, you can get the accommodation costs during the event dates reimbursed up to $400 when you book two or more nights!

Register for Thanksgiving Back 2026.

2026 Projects

Support 1 of 15 projects and create deeper connections with our community.

Weekend One

Friday, Sept 25

Feed the People

The Neighbourhood Kitchen

Help us sort through items from our local fall food drive and prepare meals with items we have available to us. Additional baking for the food bank will also be done.

Weekend One

Saturday, Sept 26

two volunteers working at a booth

Luna Fest

Arts Revelstoke

An unforgettable experience of art and community, LUNA Fest is a three-day festival presenting a lineup of musical talent, mesmerizing installation art, interactive performances, and family-friendly fun. LUNA Arts is a celebration that transforms the downtown Revelstoke core. The entire town comes out to play as the sun goes down.

Weekend One

Sunday, Sept 27

Railway Day

Revelstoke Railway Museum

Join the crew for Railway Days 2026 at the Revelstoke Railway Museum! Help bring a fun-filled community celebration to life with games, crafts, music, and family activities. Meet great people, support local heritage, and make memories along the way!

Weekend Two

Saturday, Oct 3

A group of people sitting outdoors, smiling, with baskets of fresh vegetables and fruits in front of them, near a garden and building.

Community Garden Cleanup

Revelstoke Local Food Initiative

Help us close our community gardens for the winter - harvest for the food bank, pull plants, spread mulch, clean up the beds at the RVAC, Downtown, and Illy gardens. It's a fun day outdoors, building community & caring for our community growing spaces Your time and energy make a difference in supporting community food systems. Come meet good people and care for a space rooted in learning, sharing, and nourishment.

pottery on shelves before going into the kiln

The Big Clay Clean-Up

Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre

The pottery studio needs some love! We're looking for volunteers to clean, organize, & tackle a few pottery projects. Support a creative community space that welcomes people from all walks of life, and come get a little dusty with us! We have snacks.

Trail Maintenance Dig Day

Revelstoke Cycling Association

Take part in a trail project and learn what it takes to build and maintain world-class mountain bike trails. Participants will be led by an experienced trail builder and will help fix up a section of trail on one of the RCA's four trail networks.

Firewood Party

Revelstoke Snowmobile Club

Keep our backcountry cabins warm! Join the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club’s Firewood Parties for Thanksgiving Back. Skiers, hikers, sledders ...everyone is welcome. Come split wood, experience an off-road adventure by taking a side by side up the mountain and enjoy a free volunteer BBQ!

Riparian Weed + Rainforest Hike

CSISS x Wildsight

Support restoration and conservation! Join a speed weed to remove invasive plants on the Greenbelt. After that we'll support local conservation by conducting a BioBlitz while testing out our new interpretative rainforest walk.

Weekend Two

Sunday, Oct 4

Firewood Party

Revelstoke Snowmobile Club

Keep our backcountry cabins warm! Join the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club’s Firewood Parties for Thanksgiving Back. Skiers, hikers, sledders ...everyone is welcome. Come split wood, experience an off-road adventure by taking a side by side up the mountain and enjoy a free volunteer BBQ!

A rustic building with a sloped roof sits among trees and mountains under a partly cloudy sky, with a paved area in the foreground.

Grounds Tidy

BC Interior Forestry Museum & Forest Discovery Centre

Tackle the Leaves. Tidy the Trees. Prep the Property. Join us for a hands-on volunteer day as we prepare the Forestry Museum grounds and The Riverside Forest Walk for winter!

School Lunch Program

Community Connections

Help the Neighbourhood Kitchen create nutritious and delicious menu options to be served in our elementary schools for all students and staff free of charge.

two people on ladders picking cherries

Fruit Pick-A-Thon

Revelstoke Bear Aware

Help pick surplus fruit, reduce bear attractants, and support local food security! Volunteers harvest fruit from local trees, keep a share for themselves (if desired), and help donate the rest to community food programs. A fun way to give back!

two people digging in garden

Hügelkultur

Revelstoke Food Commons

Join us in building a Hügelkultur garden at the Food Commons! We will pair this ancient garden technique that layers wood and compost into a moisture-retaining hill with with traditional gravity-fed irrigation channels to water the beds.

Seniors Centre Refresh

Revelstoke Senior Citizens' Association

Help the Revelstoke Seniors Association get organized and give its well-used folding tables a fresh start! Volunteers will inventory supplies, scrub tables, and add a new coat of paint where needed. Lunch will be provided, just wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.

Register for Thanksgiving Back 2026.

Frequently Asked.

Can I book more than 2 days of accommodations?

Accommodation reservations must take place on the same dates as the project you are registered for, and for a minimum of two nights. You're welcome to stay longer, but reservations will still only be eligible up to a maximum of $400 CAD.

How do I book accommodations?

Accommodations should be booked directly with the accommodations and not through a third-party platform such as Expedia or Booking.com. Use our Referral Engine for direct links to local businesses!

Can I book an AirBnb?

No, Airbnb is a third-party platform and not a direct booking. Please refer to our Referral Engine and our Vacation Rental companies for qualified stays. Check out the local vacation rental companies listed to inquire about full home rentals.

My partner & I are both coming, do we both receive the $400 CAD?

Double occupancy reservations are only eligible for one reimbursement.

How many shifts must I take part in?

You only need to sign up for one shift / one project to qualify for the reimbursement.

I live in Revelstoke, can I take part in this?

Because this is an incentive to encourage travel to Revelstoke, the reimbursement is not available to people with a Revelstoke permanent address, but you're welcome to encourage your family and friends to come out and visit!

What if a large group wants to rent an entire vacation home?

If your group is volunteering and plans to share a whole-home vacation rental under one reservation, please contact us before booking to discuss reimbursement eligibility. Email [email protected] with the number of total volunteers and your accommodation plans.

How do I receive my reimbursement?

Participants must attend their full volunteer shifts and complete the post-visit survey to be eligible for reimbursement (this will require you to submit a receipt from your hotel stay). Reimbursements may take up to 4 weeks after the event to process.

How can i get involved in the future?

Sign up for our thanksgiving back notification email and follow our social media channels @Revelstoke. We release Thanksgiving Back project details and open registrations annually around July/August.

Mountain Background

Project Alerts

Get Involved.

Do you want to be notified when we launch new regenerative tourism projects in Revelstoke? Those who sign up to our 'Volunteer Travel Offers' newsletter will hear about them first!
family of volunteers at night art festival

More Details.

History.

This program started in 2021 and has run every year since! We've brought in over 300 volunteers to our community to assist with 35 different volunteer projects.

What are the volunteer projects?

We've supported 16 different Revelstoke non-profit organizations through this volunteer travel offer. Volunteers have taken part in an annual nocturnal art festival with our local arts organization, removed invasive species from our local trail networks, stocked firewood in backcountry cabins, reorganized museums and art galleries, assisted with trail maintenance, and much more!

Economic Impact.

We've asked volunteer participants to track their spending while on vacation during Thanksgiving Back. We've calculated that this program generated approximately $150k for local businesses in our community.

Get Involved.

Sign up for our newsletter, follow our social media channels @Revelstoke. We will release Thanksgiving Back Project details annually in August.

Mandi, Railway Museum volunteer from Trail, BC

"ThanksgivingBack has given us one of the most special and memorable weekends ever. I can wholeheartedly say that while we certainly worked hard, our time at the museum was truly a special and memorable one, complete with a private behind-the-scenes tour after. We left our day deeply fulfilled and floating on a cloud.

We've found some wonderful new friends here thanks to this incentive. We'd like to thank @Revelstoke for giving us an educational, community-oriented, fun experience that we'll never forget. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Revelstoke. We'll be back."

group of people volunteering at art gallery

Thanksgiving Back RVAC - Credit James Buckle @jamesdanielbuckle

group of volunteers at dirt bike club day
Group of women wearing vests and hats, standing together outdoors, with one woman in a pink shirt in the foreground.
family of volunteers at night art festival
planting trees in grassy field
Three people working on a forest trail; one holds a rock, another holds a rake, surrounded by trees and dirt.

I believe anyone who comes into a community with the intention of contributing is a local.

Cathy English
Revelstoke Museum and Archives