Annual Events in Victoria

Skate into the holiday season with the return of Stars on Ice! A beautiful display of figure skating from Olympic and World medalists, this year's show is set to be an especially good one - and it's coming here to us at the Save On Foods Memorial Centre! Ticket sales start on September 27th, 2024.

The 19th annual Victoria Whisky Festival is coming up, and it's always a sell-out event! People come from all over the world for Ticket purchases for out of town attendees opens on November 15th, and November 17th for Victoria residents.

The Victoria Film Festival has been going for more than three decades! The festival always manages to pull together a talented pool of directors and producers and an epic set of films, not to mention workshops, film installations, and networking opportunities within the world of film at the Opening Gala!

Victoria's peak culinary delight, this event offers a chance to taste the finest foods, beverages & cocktails, and signature dishes that the Island has to offer (which is no small thing - we have some amazing chefs here!). Also on offer are wines, craft beers and ciders, locally roasted coffees, and the chance to mingle with chefs , restauranteurs, and others in the industry! You'll be hard pressed to find a single space with this selection of culinary action going on anywhere else!

Sip, savour, and celebrate Beer Week in Victoria! This is one of the most fun events on the Island; packed, cozy, and brew-tiful vibes across the entire week. Breweries come from far and wide to serve up craft beers for you to sample, and there's always a ton of events to take part in while you sip - beer launches, cask nights, and food & beer pairings.

The longest running Highland Games in North America are a must-se! This celebration of Scottish and Celtic arts and culture includes Highland dancing, tartan parades, international level bagpipers and drummers highlight the day activities, while the Musical Extravaganza provides a stunning live performance in the evening.

Traditional Chinese dances, vocal performances, drumming, magic, arts & crafts - what more could you ask for? Oh yeah - Chinese calligraphy demonstrations and fortune telling, too! This is such a unique and genuine event, and it brings Victoria's Chinatown to life - the whole day is packed with activities and we can't recommend stopping in to at least see the performances enough.

Victoria hosts an internationally renowned Victoria Day celebration that starts off with a parade and features live music and performing arts stages, marching bands, and tons of lively street celebration!

Okay, maybe this one is a little outside Victoria, but it's well worth the journey! The event lasts the whole weekend (camping available!) and is highlighted by beverage gardens and amazing artists - the 2024 lineup was headlined by Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes, and bbno$, and the 2025 lineup may be even better!

The Ska Fest is a staple of the Victoria summer - you can buy tickets to individuals or splurge for full festival passes (make sure to get them early!). There's always a stacked lineup of ska and reggae artists from around Canada and beyond, and the vibes are unbeatable.

This is peak Victoria! FernFest is our absolute favourite community event in Victoria. The Fernwood neighbourhood puts all the pieces together for two awesome days of live music, craft markets, food vendors, cultural performances, and family activities. This one is open to everyone and it's one you can't miss if you're in Victoria for the summer!

A multi-day festival that attracts jazz and classical artists & fans from across the world, this is one of Victoria's classier and lively festivals. The JazzFest takes place over 10 days with performances spanning multiple genres (jazz, blues, funk, world), workshops, and tons of great vibes! There's a reason this all-ages festival has gone on more than 40 years.

Running over two weekends throughout the summer, Phillips Backyard is one of the can't-misses of a classic summer in Vic! 2024 performances from Jungle, Saint Motel, Noah Cyrus and more packed the place completely and have us SO stoked for what they'll come up with in 2025!

This one is huge!! With more than 100+ participating groups in the parade and ~70K spectators, it's hard to trump the electricity and vibes of the Pride Parade in Victoria!

If you're a fan of classical and opera, then this event from the Victoria Symphony is for you! A variety of free and ticketed concerts cover classics from Mozart, Salieri, Mendelssohn, and many more! I attended an opera performance set in the stunning Butchart Gardens during the 2024 event and was blown away with the quality. Worth every penny!

The Fringe Theatre Festival has been going on for more than three decades, and for good reason! This festival has a bit of everything going on over several days - theatre, comedy, magic, live music, and more! All live. This is always a huge event for the arts community in Victoria, with performers travelling from all over Canada to perform! This is always a sell-out event, so get your tickets early!

A celebration of local Chinese culture & history, the Dragon Boat Festival is a can't-miss! Intense boat races, food trucks aplenty, and live music for the entire weekend of the event - plus it's right in the middle of August, so the weather is always stunning!

A huge festival to celebrate Caribbean culture! The two day event cracks off with a colourful parade and is followed by lively days filled with live music from reggae & ska artists, performances of all kinds, unique cultural foods, and games!

Running over two weekends throughout the summer, Phillips Backyard is one of the can't-misses of a classic summer in Vic! 2024 performances from Jungle, Saint Motel, Noah Cyrus and more packed the place completely and have us SO stoked for what they'll come up with in 2025!

A unique cultural experience around Victoria, Greek Fest offers up authentic food (lamb, souvlaki, gyros, spanakopita, and more...yum!), live dance performances, and then even more food after that! There are also cultural performances from the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Gypsy, and Balkan, making it a melting pot for more than just the food. Make sure to hit up the Agora (market) for handmade crafts and take-home delicacies.

Whether you're new to the city or a season veteran, Rifflandia is an epic time in Victoria. The Island's biggest festival is headlined by epic artists every single year and pays a ton of attention the small details - entertainment, food, location, merch, vibes - it's all perfect. So don't sleep on Rifflandia! Friend, family, and kid passes all available to make attendance easy for everyone!

A beer garden on steroids, and with history! The GCBF was Canada's first ever craft beer festival - today, craft breweries come from all over the country and put together more than 200 craft beers & ciders for you to try. There's also a ton of food from local vendors and entertainment, a real jack-of-all-trades sort of event with fellow beer lovers.

A combo of mouth-watering meat dishes and craft brews from the Island's finest! Event tickets include unlimited access to chef's creations and beverages, not to mention all the live music you can enjoy while you sip & munch! So try not to overindulge ;)

Taste some delicious ribs and food from tons of other local food vendors, enjoy craft brews and ciders, listen to live music, AND support charities - all at the same time!

The Island's famous Wine Festival returns for another year! Dinners, tastings, seminars & workshops and, of course, lots of wine! This is always a sell-out event, so make sure to get your tickets fast!

The Victoria Tea Festival Revival offers tea tastings, live music, a ceramics gallery, and the World Tea Championship, all in a farm-to-cup experience!

Widely seen as the best oceanside course on the West Coast, the Royal Victoria Marathon is HUGE! Runners test themselves across a variety of races that finish in the Inner Harbour. If you're a runner, it doesn't get much better than this - the race is a Boston qualifier and the boatload of other racers help push you to new heights! Not a runner? Drop in at the finish line to see the intense finishing stretch sprints!

The ultimate wine festival! Wine, ciders, and cocktails str presented by more than 50 local & national providers in this classy, fun night. With 'Best Dressed' and 'Most Popular Cocktail' competitions, as well as a Roarin' Twenties theme (complete with a speakeasy-style venue) that will transport you back to Prohibition, this is a night you won't forget - as long as you don't overindulge.

Canada's top chocolatiers come together to serve up some delectable delights - truffles, pastries, drinks, and anything else you can put chocolate in or on! It's not just a tasting either. Dive into the art of chocolate making and cultivation in demos and live talks, too. The first tasting session is already booked out, so make sure to grab tickets fast!