Free trolley rides in Victoria's Old Town
Take a break from hectic holiday shopping with a leisurely clip-clop tour of Victoria’s Old Town on free horse-drawn trolley rides for the next three weekends.
The rides, compliments of the Downtown Victoria Business Association through Victoria Carriage Tours, are part of this year’s Lights of Wonder celebration, which begins Dec. 1.
There will be five stops (with one repeat) along a loop downtown, with guests able to ride the entire loop or hop-on and hop-off as they please.
People can board the trolley at stops on Wharf Street (Capital Iron Building), Johnson Street (Willies Bakery Building), Langley Street (Bastion Square), Wharf Street (Darcys Pub/Bastion Square), Johnson Street (repeat of Willies Bakery Building) and Government Street (Centennial Square).
The trolley runs 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and 2; 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9; 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 16.
Winterfest at the Royal B.C. Museum
Celebrate arts, culture and community at WinterFest, a free outdoor multicultural holiday market hosted by the Royal B.C. Museum, Dec. 2 and 3.
The event pairs multicultural performances, food and warm drinks with a market featuring close to 30 local artisans and vendors.
Performers on Saturday include ANSWER, an Indigenous women’s drum group, Cookeilidh, Jopy of Life Choir with the B.C. Youth Fiddle Orchestra, Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club, Vancouver Island Scottish Country Dancers and Drum Victoria.
Sunday sees performances by Capital City Syncopators, Alma de Espana Flamenco, Pablo Cardenas: Cuban Jazz, Uminari Taiko, The Carillon Carol Along, Esquimalt Dancers and the Kendall Gender Drag Show.
The event is free to attend. It runs 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of the Royal B.C. Museum, 675 Belleville St. People are advised to dress for the weather conditions as the venue is outdoors and semi-tented. Admission to the museum is not included.
For more information, along with performance times, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/winterfest.
Christmas parades in Esquimalt and Sidney
Bring the whole family to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season — and the first sight of Santa Claus — at two traditional Christmas parades on Sunday.
This is the 17th year of Esquimalt’s Celebration of Lights, a community celebration with events starting at 3 p.m at the Esquimalt Archie Browning Sports Centre Plaza on Sunday.
At the plaza all the members of the family can enjoy live performances, including Christmas carols by Maureen Washington and students of Rockheights Middle School.
The lighted parade starts at 5 p.m., running along Esquimalt Road, from the intersection of Canteen Road to the McDonalds entrance at the plaza.
At the end of the parade, at approximately 5:30 p.m., people can enjoy hot dogs by donation and a visit with Santa.
The event is free to join, but people are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Rainbow Kitchen. Local traffic will be restricted between Canteen Road and Lampson Street, with traffic control on site.
The streets of Sidney will come alive with twinkling lights, joyful music and the sight of the Sidney Sparkles Christmas Parade on Sunday.
The free holiday tradition, presented by the Peninsula Celebrations Society, is a perfect way to kick off the holiday season with family and friends.
The festive procession runs 5 to 6 p.m. and travels along Beacon Avenue to Second Street, then continues four blocks south, finishing at Ocean Avenue.
