Watching 2,500 paddlers giving it their all in the Inner Harbour is just one of the activities at the 20th annual Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat festival this weekend.
More than 80,000 spectators are expected to line up to watch 90 teams — with locals joined by paddlers from Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco — deliver a taste of world-class dragon-boat racing on Saturday and Sunday.
The teams will be crewing millennium dragon boats and tackling a 470-metre course.
Between races, visitors can take in three days of music, food, family activities, historical walking tours and cultural ceremonies.
The festival kicks off with a blessing by the Songhees First Nation and a traditional lion dance.
This is followed by the traditional Eye Dotting Ceremony, at which Taoist priests will “awaken the dragon” by painting eyes on the figurehead of each dragon boat.
Friday evening also marks the Lights of Courage Lantern Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony honours those who have been lost to cancer with lanterns, each with a personal message. Proceeds from the sale of the lanterns support the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
The festival features two entertainment stages — a main stage at Ship Point and a cultural stage next to the Forbidden City Food Court. Professional performers, including Groove Kitchen and the Soul Shakers, start on the main stage on Friday.
The cultural stage opens at 4 p.m. with the Uminari Taiko Drummers.
The main stage lineup on Saturday includes The O’Briens, Ritchie Mac Band, Curl, Blue Cadillac Band, Free Ride and Funk’d Up. The popular Paddlers’ Air Band Competition returns, featuring a variety of local and visiting teams competing for the best air band prize, complete with costumes and impromptu dance routines.
Through the weekend, cultural group performances range from belly dance and traditional dance to tai chi, kung fu and hip hop. This year, the Esquimalt Singers and Dancers will perform traditional dances at the festival.
Visitors can take in free hour-long walking tours to find out more about the Asian and First Nations history.
There will be a variety of children’s and family activities. The World Fisheries Trust will be on hand with its mobile seaquarium, featuring marine creatures in a touch tank. The Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence is setting up an obstacle course for younger children.
Food trucks will be onsite as well as a number of retail vendors.
Viewing the races is free. The festival kicks off with the Eye Dotting Ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday at Ship Point. The boats race between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. Award ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. First Nations walking tours run 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Chinatown Tours run 2:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and noon and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Register at the festival information tent. Tours are limited to 35 people.
For information, go to victoriadragonboat.com.
Turning fibre into an art form
Fibrations, a celebration of all things fibre, returns for its fourth year on Sunday with more than 60 vendors appealing to fibre artists and lovers of fibre arts, hosted by Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts.
Experts will give demonstrations every hour on Tunisian crochet, needle-felted fruit, Kumihimo braiding, Nuno felting and loom knitting.
The items on display and sale range from a Tsartlip First Nations knitter making traditional Cowichan sweaters, tuques and vests using home-spun wool to a society that imports wool items from alpacas made by Quechua weavers in Peru.
Activities include opportunities to spin wool, knit, crochet and wet felt. A marketplace features local artisans, food and fibre arts supplies.
A children’s activity centre will keep youngsters occupied.
Admission is free. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Ann’s Academy, 835 Humbolt St.
For information, go to fibrationsvic.wordpress.com.
Volunteer for river cleanup
Enjoy two days of fresh air, fun and community involvement at the annual Cowichan River Cleanup this weekend.
The upper river will be cleaned on Saturday with the lower section dealt with on Sunday.
The event is family-friendly and there will be opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to help out on shore as well as in the water.
Those who don’t want to get wet can walk the banks and pick up garbage that would otherwise be washed into the river by rain. Anyone looking forward to getting into the water is asked to bring appropriate gear for working in the river (gloves and waterproof footwear) or bring a snorkel or dive gear.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Saturday’s event is organized by the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meet at the Lake Cowichan Town Hall, 39 South Shore Rd.
For insurance purposes, participants need to register. Registration is from 9 to 10 a.m. with continental breakfast provided. A barbecue follows at 2 p.m.
For information, go to cowichan-lake-stewards.ca.
On Sunday, the event is organized by the Cowichan Watershed Board and the Cowichan Tribes. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Follow the blue signs to the Little Big House, just past the Cowichan Tribes Gymnasium, 5574 River Rd., Duncan. There will be coffee and snacks with registration, as well as a barbecue and prizes following the cleanup. For information, go to Lower Cowichan River Clean-Up on Facebook.
Flamenco party in full swing
Enjoy the passion of flamenco music, song and dance at the second annual Victoria Flamenco Festival, which runs until Sunday. The event is hosted by the Flamenco de la Isla Society, formed by students and aficionados of the art.
Free events include lunch-hour fiesta shows that start at noon today and Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival expands with a lineup of local, regional, aspiring and professional artists performing on stage all afternoon. There are ticketed events tonight and Friday night.
Visitors can sign up for three workshops to work on improving their singing or intermediate and advanced dance. Food and craft vendors will be on site.
Admission is free. The performances run from noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Centennial Square. For information, go to victoriaflamencofestival.com.
Victoria's galleries in frame for crawl
An “en-masse art crawl” is planned for the Integrate Arts Festival Friday and Saturday.
The event is a movement of large groups from gallery space to gallery space that started in 2007. It is a celebration of small galleries, artist-run centres and the alternative arts. Events include a variety of exhibitions at more than 30 participating galleries, publicly accessible studios and city sites.
On Friday, participants can stroll around town or hop on/hop off a Big Blue Bus to see as many galleries and spaces as desired. You can also take part in a bike tour on Saturday that will involve a group visit to art spaces downtown. The tour ends at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria with free admission and a performance by puppeteer Tim Gosley.
The event is free and runs from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Friday. Some galleries will charge admission or accept donations from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Venues include various art galleries in Greater Victoria. For a map showing the different locations and a schedule of events, go to integratearts.ca.
First Nations art from across Canada on show
The 2014 First Nations, Inuit and Metis Art Show is unique because it features pieces from artists across Canada. First Nations represented include local Coast Salish, Northwest Coast, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwa, Navajo, Inuit and Chicksaw Nations.
The art includes carvings, weaving, prints, fabric art, drums, rattles, pottery, beading, leather work, painting and jewelry.
The free event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 1-9 p.m. Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday until Sept. 4 at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney. For details, go to marywinspear.ca/event/first-nations-inuit-and-metis-art-show.
See Sidney's Beacon Avenue turned into a bed-racing track
You will never again complain about slow medical care after witnessing hospital bed races on Sunday.
Beacon Avenue in Sidney will be turned into a racetrack for Bed Races on Beacon, a fundraiser for palliative care at the Rest Haven Lodge residential care facility.
Up to 20 teams are expected to race along the town’s main street dressed in creative, themed costumes in the family community event.
There will be stroller races and face painting for the kids.
Watching is free. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at 2372 Beacon Ave. For information, go to facebook.com/resthavenfoundation.
