Esquimalt is having a birthday party Saturday and everyone is invited.
The 100-year-old municipality is hosting a day-long celebration with music on two stages, community displays, food vendors, a beverage garden, a kids' zone with entertainers and more.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9: 30 p.m. at Esquimalt Gorge Park, 1070 Tillicum Rd.
"We invite residents and the entire region to join in the festivities at Esquimalt Gorge Park," said Mayor Barb Desjardins. "We are celebrating the past, the present and the future of our great community and this will be reflected in the day's program."
The family-friendly event will offer nine hours of live performances showcasing popular bands.
The afternoon lineup includes acclaimed fiddler Daniel Lapp, Chris Frye with the Georgia Basin Beat Collective, local R&B favourites the Soul Shakers, jazz and blues vocalist Maureen Washington with her quintet, and Fraser Campbell, author of the Esquimalt theme song Esquimalt Shines.
The evening's entertainment includes Canadian power-pop legend Odds, two-time Juno Award nominee and folk artist Jeremy Fisher, and the Wasabi Collective from Nelson.
You can also take a free 45-minute historical walking tour of Gorge Park, ride on the waterway in a voyageur canoe and wander through the revitalized Japanese Garden, one of the oldest in North America.
There will be no parking on site during the celebration.
A free bike check is available. A free shuttle service will also be provided between Archie Browning Sports Centre and the park entrance.
For more information, go to esquimalt.ca.
