From half-price tickets to free events downtown, B.C.’s first Family Day promises to be a fun day to spend quality time with children on the Island — unless you’re a federal employee.

Monday’s main festivities in Victoria take place at Ship Point in the Inner Harbour, with day-long entertainment and activities for children. HMCS Saskatoon will be on hand, with tours from noon until 4 p.m.

The Royal B.C. Museum will be open with special events for inquisitive minds. Along with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, the museum has unveiled a new attraction celebrating 155 years of Victoria’s Chinatown.

Parents on the Saanich Peninsula won’t have to venture far, with activities planned at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.

Recreation centres throughout the region will be open, offering activities for the whole family.

Further afield, Mount Washington is offering half-price lift tickets as well as a special snow pass for children.

Spare a thought for federal employees Monday — Family Day is a provincial statutory holiday, making it a normal working day for them.

— Pedro Arrais

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