Wednesday, New Year’s Day
Levees:
• HMCS Malahat, 20 Huron St. 9-10 a.m.
• Government House. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon will greet guests with music by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Scottish Regiment Pipes and Drums. 1401 Rockland Ave. 10 a.m.- noon.
• City of Victoria, council chambers, 1 Centennial Sq. noon - 1: 30 p.m.
• District of Sooke, council chambers, 2205 Otter Point Rd. 10 a.m.- noon
Other activities:
• Municipality of Saanich, free admission to pool, 10 a.m. -noon at Saanich Commonwealth Pool, 4636 Elk Lake Dr.; free skating, 1 to 3 p.m. Pearkes Arena, 3100 Tillicum Rd.
• Township of Esquimalt, free admission to swimming and weight room, 1 to 3 p.m. at the recreation centre, 527 Fraser St.; skating, 1 to 3 p.m. at Esquimalt Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Rd. Also, meet and greet with mayor and council from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in atrium of the recreation centre.
• District of Oak Bay, free admission to jazzercise 1 to 3 p.m., fitness studio 1 to 3 p.m., skating 1:30 to 3 p.m., swimming 3 to 5 p.m., children’s movies at 3:15 and 5:15 p.m., Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee St.
• Maritime Museum of B.C., 28 Bastion Sq., 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Free admission, tours highlight B.C.’s maritime culture.
Polar bear swims:
• Noon at the waterfront of Lochside Drive in Sidney, south of Tulista Park. Presented by the Peninsula Celebrations Society.
• 2:30 p.m. at Thetis Lake Regional Park, Six Mile Road, View Royal.
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From the traditional meet-and-greet to a walk, a skate or a swim, there are lots of ways to kick off 2014 in the capital region — and if you time it well, you can do several.
On New Year’s Day, you can start at HMCS Malahat, which despite its name is not a ship, but a naval reserve training recruitment centre in James Bay. Malahat, one of the largest among 24 naval reserve divisions across Canada, has hosted its levee on behalf of local ships and naval shore establishments for more than a decade. The event runs from 9 to 10 a.m. at 20 Huron St.
B.C. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon opens the doors of Government House in Rockland to the public from 10 a.m. to noon. There will be music and light refreshments. Food contributions or donations to support food banks are encouraged and accepted at the door.
Municipalities have been moving away from the tradition of having elected officials greet the public at a formal levee. This year Esquimalt joins Saanich and Oak Bay in offering free recreational activities with youngsters in mind.
“We just weren’t seeing children and families at the traditional levees,” said Lynda Hundleby, acting mayor of Esquimalt. “We have been encouraging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle — and this is a good start.”
To attract families, Esquimalt is offering free swimming, skating and use of the weight room Wednesday afternoon. People can still meet and greet the mayor and council over coffee.
On Wednesday morning, Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen will lead residents on a four-kilometre community walk followed by free fitness activities all day at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre. This is the second year the centre has offered an alternative to the traditional levee.
“It was very popular last year,” said Janet Barclay, manager of recreational programs at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre. “We had more than 1,000 people come to the recreation centre. The pool was full and the jazzercise class had more than 100 people.”
In Saanich, visitors can enjoy a free swim at Commonwealth Pool or skate at Pearkes Arena.
Another Jan. 1 tradition is the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim. With two events taking place two and a half hours apart, hardy souls could conceivably participate in both. The first swim is at noon, on the waterfront off Lochside Drive in Sidney. The second is at 2:30 p.m. at Thetis Lake in View Royal. That swim is usually at Elk Lake, but had to be moved due to an algae bloom there.
Places to go and things to do on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve
The Timebenders at Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney, door 7:30 p.m.; show 8:30 p.m. party favours and glass of bubbly at midnight. marywinspear.ca
Edie DaPonte and Heather McLeod, at Beacon Landing Lounge, 2537 Beacon Ave., Sidney, 7-9:30 p.m.
The Victoria Ballroom Dance Society New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner and Dance with music by MC2, 7 p.m. at Saanich Commonwealth Place, 4636 Elk Lake Rd. vbds.org
Victoria Jazz All-Stars with Ian McDougall, Louise Rose, Roy Styffe and more at Hermann’s Jazz Club, 753 View St., 4 p.m. hermannsjazz.com
New Year’s at the Roxy Theatre by Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre featuring music and videos on the big screen by Capital City DJ. Tickets include champagne at midnight and party favours.
The 25th annual Run Through Time, University of Victoria starting at 6 p.m. About 300 participants expected in the five-kilometre and kids’ one-kilometre walk and run. Organized by the Runners of Compassion as a fundraiser for the YM/YWCA Camp Thunderbird and the Shoes for Youth program. runnersofcompassion.com
Free skate at Juan de Fuca Arena, noon-1:30 p.m. westshorerecreation.ca
Christmas at Craigdarroch, 1050 Joan Cres., 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Hogmanay whisky tasting with music by Cookeilidh and learn the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay. thecastle.ca
Wednesday, New Year’s Day
Levees:
• HMCS Malahat, 20 Huron St. 9-10 a.m.
• Government House. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon will greet guests with music by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Scottish Regiment Pipes and Drums. 1401 Rockland Ave. 10 a.m.- noon.
• City of Victoria, council chambers, 1 Centennial Sq. noon - 1: 30 p.m.
• District of Sooke, council chambers, 2205 Otter Point Rd. 10 a.m.- noon
Other activities:
• Municipality of Saanich, free admission to pool, 10 a.m. -noon at Saanich Commonwealth Pool, 4636 Elk Lake Dr.; free skating, 1 to 3 p.m. Pearkes Arena, 3100 Tillicum Rd.
• Township of Esquimalt, free admission to swimming and weight room, 1 to 3 p.m. at the recreation centre, 527 Fraser St.; skating, 1 to 3 p.m. at Esquimalt Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Rd. Also, meet and greet with mayor and council from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in atrium of the recreation centre.
• District of Oak Bay, free admission to jazzercise 1 to 3 p.m., fitness studio 1 to 3 p.m., skating 1:30 to 3 p.m., swimming 3 to 5 p.m., children’s movies at 3:15 and 5:15 p.m., Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee St.
• Maritime Museum of B.C., 28 Bastion Sq., 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Free admission, tours highlight B.C.’s maritime culture.
Polar bear swims:
• Noon at the waterfront of Lochside Drive in Sidney, south of Tulista Park. Presented by the Peninsula Celebrations Society.
• 2:30 p.m. at Thetis Lake Regional Park, Six Mile Road, View Royal.
