Victoria Pride Week wraps up events with a one-hour parade and a festival to follow on Sunday. This is the 20th year of the event, hosted by the non-profit Victoria Pride Society, which empowers those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited, intersex, as well as their friends and allies.
Organizers estimate between 25,000 and 30,000 people will turn out to watch the parade, which they estimate is the second largest in Victoria.
The parade, which will travel south on Government Street to MacDonald Park in James Bay, features more than 100 colourful groups and floats. Entries include local businesses, non-profit organizations and members and friends of the LBGTQ community.
A family-friendly festival, with more than 150 food and craft vendors, starts at the end of the parade. The site boasts two entertainment stages, a beer garden and activities for children and teens. More than 10,000 people attended last year.
The weekend events cap a week of festivities for the annual Pride Week, which included a comedy night, beach party, karaoke contest, a Mr. and Ms. Paparazzi pageant and lesbian pride celebration at various venues throughout the city.
Both events are free. The parade starts at noon at the corner of Government Street and Pandora Avenue. It travels south along Belleville, Menzies and Kingston streets to MacDonald Park on Oswego Street. The Pride Festival runs from 1-6 p.m. at the park. Details at victoriapridesociety.org.
Get full at a food-truck bonanza in the square
More than 25 street food vendors will dish up creative and delicious foods at the first Friday Truck-Up of the month during the third annual Victoria Street Food Festival at Centennial Square.
As many as 10,000 people a day will dine on food from stands that include Big Dog Burgers, Coast Lunch Box, Country Kusina, Donut Delights, Yonni’s Doughnuts, Dog Nation and L’Authentique Burger & Poutine.
People 19 and older can wash down their food with beer from a different local brewery each week or a cider from Merridale cidery to the accompaniment of one of a dozen live, local entertainers or bands.
There will also be activities for families.
Changes this year include parking some of the more popular trucks and food vendors on the upper level of the square.
Admission is free.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Centennial Square. The beer garden opens at noon. The event returns July 10, 24 and 31.
For details, look for the event on Facebook.
Navy museum marks 30 years with open house
The CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary with an open house on Saturday.
Activities include a children’s dress-up station, heritage tea service and presentations by members of the Victoria-Esquimalt Military Re-enactors Association, the Alberni Project — HMCS Alberni museum and memorial, Korea Veterans Association and others.
The museum will also mark the milestone with the opening of a new gallery.
Displays include exhibits from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Association, the British Columbia Aviation Museum, Vancouver Island Military Museum and Lt.-Gen. E.C. Ashton Armoury and Museum.
Food trucks will be on site.
Since the museum is on a Canadian Forces Base, attendees are required to stop and present photo identification, such as a driver’s licence or passport, to security at the main gate of the base.
Parking is free. People arriving by bus should allow for a five-to-10-minute walk from the main gate to the museum. Blue lines are painted on the road from the Admirals Road entrance to guide visitors to the museum. There is also signage marking the way with the letter M for museum.
Admission is free. The celebration begins at 10 a.m. with the opening of the museum’s newest gallery followed by cake cutting.
Activities run until 5 p.m. at Museum Square at Naden.
For details, go to navalandmilitarymuseum.org.
Kids’ club makes reading fun
As many as 6,000 children in Greater Victoria will be eligible for weekly prizes just by reading for at least 20 minutes every day at their own pace in the Greater Victoria Public Library’s 2015 B.C. Summer Reading Club.
The kids are among 85,000 youth in B.C. motivated to read (or be read to) as a way to maintain or improve their literacy skills while school is out.
“Summer Reading Club makes reading fun by inviting kids to read what they want,” said Tracy Kendrick, children and teen services co-ordinator at the library. “Our friendly staff can help kids find just what they like, whether it’s a print book, audiobook, eBook or magazine.”
Children pick up a reading record to keep track of their reading at their local library. After they read for seven days, they can visit the library and collect their weekly prize.
They can also sign up for more than 140 free programs at the library during the summer, including stories, drama, crafts, science and nature, art, writing, games and animal programs. There are also visits from Heroes, a Kerplunks concert at the Belfry Theatre and a book parade.
The program is sponsored by the British Columbia Library Association, with sponsors that include Young Canada Works, The Belfry Theatre, Panago Pizza, IslandLink Library Federation, Friends of the Library and Greater Victoria Active Communities.
Registration is free. For details, call 250-940-4875 or go to gvpl.ca/src.
Summertime at the cabin
The Saanich Pioneer Society’s Log Cabin Museum is serving up Good Olde Summertime fun at its event on Saturday.
Visitors can admire vintage vehicles, including and old fire engine, listen to toe-tapping music, play games, enjoy food service by Central Saanich Lions Club or take tours of the museum.
Admission is free. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum, on Saanichton Green Park, Central Saanich (behind Thrifty Foods). Details at saanichpioneersociety.org
Make a splash at Victoria’s newest market
The Breakwater Market, Victoria’s newest — and arguably the most scenic — community open air market opens Sunday at Ogden Point.
The new market, located on the lawn adjacent to the Breakwater Café and Bistro, will offer homemade, handmade and homegrown products created by 21 local artisans and vendors. There will also be five to seven food trucks on site.
Local musicians will entertain locals and visitors from more than 200 cruise ships calling at Ogden Point this season.
The market is a partnership between the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and the James Bay Market Society.
“The market will be able to take advantage of a unique landmark setting that is visited regularly by locals as well as by tourists,” says Carole Elliott, chairwoman of the James Bay Market Society. “This superb location will enhance and benefit the market, its vendors and the community.”
Special events scheduled throughout the season include craft beer and wine tastings.
Organizers also plan to stage community events and festivities, such as free film nights, on a barge that will be docked between Pier A and the breakwater.
The market runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday until Aug. 30, with the exception of Aug. 9 at Ogden Point, 199 Dallas Rd. Free parking is available in the lot next to the market.
For information, go to breakwatermarket.com.
For an interactive map of the South Island’s summer markets, go to timescolonist.com/markets
Government House rocks
The first of the summer Music on the Lawn concert series featuring B.C. performers returns to Government House, the ceremonial home of all British Columbians, on Thursday.
Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon welcomes the public to the free concerts, which allow concertgoers to enjoy both Government House and its surrounding gardens.
Attendees are invited to walk through the public rooms of the house, the office and official residence of the lieutenant governor before the show.
There will be three concerts: The Timebenders on Thursday; The Midnights on July 9; and The Sutcliffes on July 16.
Refreshments will be for sale on the grounds.
Admission is free. The public areas of the house are open between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and the concerts start at 6 p.m. on the east lawn of Government House, 1401 Rockland Ave. For information, visit ltgov.bc.ca.
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