Music programming is the perfect complement to what the Butchart Gardens offers its guests, especially during the summer.
The remarkable part? Everything under the Spectacular Summer Evenings banner now through Sept. 3 — which amounts to 64 consecutive nights of entertainment over nine weeks, from 50 different acts — is provided free with paid admission to the gardens.
When you consider the quality of the acts scheduled to appear, the cost savings are considerable. The biggest benefit is for 12-month passholders who make regular visits to the national historic site. Given the going rate for a Victoria concert, Craig Moddle believes those who attend even a handful of concerts at Butchart Gardens over the summer will have saved the price of the pass several times over.
“There is a real acceptance of whatever I throw out at them,” Moddle, manager of arts and entertainment for the Butchart Gardens, said of the regular clientele. “They are going to keep coming, which to me is fabulous. It allows me to experiment.”
Moddle doesn’t cater only to the regulars, of course. Nor is he only interested in booking bands that look good on paper. The longtime member of the local music community loves nothing more than to see a packed amphitheatre enjoying music from a group or performer they might know little about. “My big thing is: ‘Is this interesting?’ I want to know that it is good, earnest music,” Moddle said.
Events in the Spectacular Summer Evenings series often veer into A-list territory. Last year, Moddle estimated that 4,200 fans gathered on the grass at the open-air stage to see singer-songwriter Jann Arden perform.
In the past, acts such as Spirit of the West, Colin James and Bruce Cockburn have drawn similar-sized crowds.
This year, Moddle expects a big audience for the Aug. 3 performance by the Mavericks, a Grammy Award-winning group whose Cuban singer, Raul Malo, is considered one of the best in the business.
Other highlights include U.K. roots-rock legends Oysterband (July 11), Toronto folkie Jayme Stone and his Lomax Project (July 25), Ontario indie rockers Great Lake Swimmers (July 28), Victoria phenom Jesse Roper (Aug. 11), Juno Award nominees the Bills (Aug. 14) and Vancouver Celtic kings the Paperboys (Aug. 26), among others.
Moddle is passionate about supporting Canadian bands from home and afar. Mix those in with bigger-name touring acts from Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere, and the entertainment lineup at Butchart Gardens over the summer is among the best value-for-dollar events in the area.
“We look at who is coming that potentially has some interest,” Moddle said. “We want people to enjoy music while they are at the gardens.”
What: Spectacular Summer Evenings at the Butchart Gardens
Where: The Butchart Gardens, 800 Benvenuto Ave.
When: July 2-Sept. 3, nightly at 8 p.m.
Tickets: Free with paid admission to the Butchart Gardens
Information: butchartgardens.com/ent