For the 18th year in a row, FernFest will be rocking out with musicians, performers, dancers, food, bikes, artists, magic, and so much more! There is no better place to be on June 21st and 22nd. Join in and watch the revelry unfurl as the Fernwood Square is transformed into a 2-day circus extravaganza of fun with all your best neighbours and friends!

Special guests, Surprises! Spectacles! You name it! All will abound….

Cost: $1,000,000 per ticket, or free, your choice.

Where: Fernwood Square, in the heart of Fernwood

When: Friday & Saturday, June 21st-22nd, 2013

Friday, June 21, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• Live Bands
• Beer Garden & BBQ

Saturday, June 22, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• Pancake Breakfast
• Kids Activities (bouncy castle, face painting, etc.)
• Kidical Mass Bike Parade
• Artisan Market
• Heritage & Garden Tours
• High Tea at Cornerstone Cafe
• Beer Garden and BBQ
• Live music performances
• FernFest
  Fernwood Square
  1284 Gladstone Avenue
  Victoria, BC

“It’s an honour to represent this city and open the hatch for Victorians,” said Cdr. Chris Ellis. “Reaching out to Canadians and building and strengthening our relationships, including ties with local leaders and stakeholders in the communities we serve, is critical to the Navy’s ongoing success.”

Canada’s fleet of submarines play a significant part in supporting Canada’s national security and sovereignty operations. The scheduled tours of HMCS Victoria will give Canadians a sense of what it is like to work and live on a submarine.

Public tours will occur from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Due to the smaller size of the boat, only a limited number of people can tour HMCS Victoria at any one time. Therefore, starting at 9:30 a.m. until the end of the tour periods, crew members will be at the main access gate to provide tickets to the public which will indicate specific times for their tours. Tours will consist of six to eight people, begin every fifteen minutes, and last approximately 45 minutes.

Touring a submarine can be a strenuous activity, involving steep ladders and tight spaces. Guests should be in good health, capable of climbing ladders and should wear appropriate clothing. Flat, rubber-soled shoes are recommended. For safety reasons, guests must be 12 years of age and older.

For security reasons, all visitors are subject to screening. Large bags, including backpacks are prohibited. Small camera bags and small handbags may be permitted but will be subject to search. The taking of imagery could be limited while on board the boat.

Items including firearms, knives, spray cans of any type, fireworks, flammable liquids or other explosives, are strictly prohibited on board the boat.

[Ottawa Citizen]

Taking place in and around the historic Roundhouse at Bayview Place, the Festival celebrates many things local, with a focus on selecting and eating seafood from BC waters.

Fresh seafood, including live BC spot prawns at the peak of their season, will be available for purchase, while chefs share recipes and demonstrate ways to prepare and enjoy seafood dishes using locally-available ingredients. Food vendors will have seafood and other dishes to enjoy during the festival.

The day will also feature artisans and crafters, musical performances, kids activities, and a speaker series including industry leaders, seafood experts and local foodies.

Note this is a no smoking venue. No pets allowed. No smoking pets.

The festival is a free event open to all. Check the website for more information, http://www.iccbc.ca.

This family friendly, fun filled weekend will have something for all ages to enjoy. There will be a midway rides and games, a pancake breakfast, a pirates den for children, movies under the starts, and much more. Of course, there will also be the parade on Saturday, June 8th at 10.00am, where parade participants are encouraged to wear period costumes, with the best dressed winning some fabulous prizes.

The Annual Buccaneer Days Parade will begin at the intersection of Esquimalt Road and Dominion Road at 10 a.m. and will proceed westbound on Esquimalt Road to Constance Avenue, where it will disperse at 11:30 a.m.

For a full schedule of events, please visit the Buccaneer Days website.

Bucaneer Days
Archie Browning Sports Centre
1151 Esquimalt Road
Victoria, BC

This week our photo is undated, but appears to come from the 1950′s or 1960′s?

Do you know where we are today?

Photo credit: BuckyHermit on flickr

The theme for the summer’s first night market on June 20th will celebrate the roots of the dragon boat festival and the year of the Water Dragon. There will be an artistic enactment of the folklore about the origins of dragon boating and the Chinese dragon. Featured will be local artists, dancers, musicians, actors, and local performing groups. Themes for the other nights markets include the Festival of Karaoke Stars, Festival of the Sevens, and the Autumn Moon Lantern Festival.

Along with the artistic performances will be all the street vendors selling goods and authentic Chinese cuisine. The dates for this summer’s night markets are:

• June 12, 5.00pm-9.00pm
• July 10, 5.00pm-9.00pm
• August 14, 5.00pm-9.00pm
• September 11, 5.00pm-9.00pm

For more information, you can visit their website. Here’s a video of highlights from a pervious year’s Victoria Chinatown Night Market.

Here’s how to enter the contest:

1. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on our wall that you would like to win or share our contest image (1 entry)
2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet the following (1 entry)

Thanks to @VicExplorer, I could win tix to see Sting! Follow and RT to enter http://bit.ly/14ci3Ur #yyjcontest

3. Or simply leave a comment below (1 entry) telling us what your favourite Sting song is!

Do all three, and you get three entries in the contest.

Good luck!

Contest Rules
1. Contest closes at 5.00pm (PST) on Wednesday, May 29, 2013
2. Winners will be picked at random from all entries and contacted via Email or Twitter, or wall post on Facebook
3. If the winner can not be contacted within 24 hours of the contest closing, we will pick another winner at random

The Oak Bay Tea Party is completely run by volunteers. Highlights for this year include the Air Show on Sunday June 2nd at 2.00pm at Willows Beach, with skydivers landing on the beach, military aircraft, aerobatic aircraft, a Sea Rescue Demonstration, and a Coast Guard Helicopter Static Display.

On Saturday at 10:30am at Windsor Park, the parade winds through the streets of Oak Bay, ending at Willows Park about 45 minutes later. The bathtub race starts at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2nd. Not to be forgotten, the midway runs at Willows Park from 11:00am to 9:00pm on Saturday and from 11:00am to 7:00pm on Sunday.

For more information, please visit their website.

Oak Bay Tea Party
Willows Beach
Victoria, BC

This year, the Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival will take place at Topaz Park. Gates open at 8.00am on Saturday and Sunday and will offer fun for the whole family, including a sheep dog herding competition, bag pipes, tug-of-war, highland dancing and music. There are also traditional Scottish competitions, called the Heavy Events, which have been contested at Highland Games for centuries. For a full schedule of events, click here.

Ticket prices will be as follows:

Gate Admission Prices:
Adults: $15 for single day admission.
Senior/Youth: $12 for single day Admission
Children Under 12: FREE

Advance Admission Prices:
Adults: $12 for single day admission; $20 for 2-day (weekend) admission.
Senior/Youth: $10 for single day admission; $16 for 2-day (weekend admission)
Children Under 12: FREE

Advance Tickets Available (between March 1 and May 17) at:
The Strath Ale, Wine & Spirit Merchants
919 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC Phone: (250)-370-9463

Vision 2000 Travel Group – CASH ONLY
4480 West Saanich Road
Victoria, BC Phone: (250) 412-1880

Loghouse Pub Liquor Store
2323 Millstream Road
Langford, BC Phone: (250) 391-9148

Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival

Photo credit: toledoblade.com

BUY YOUR TICKETS INSIDE AT THE FOOD CONCESSION, which is open to sell treats. There is a baby change table in the handicapped washroom downstairs, accessible by elevator, (but feel free to change your baby on a change mat in the theatre if you don’t want to miss any of the movie). Stroller parking in the theatre!

Doors open 12pm and all films start at around 1.00pm. Come early to avoid line-ups.

The movies this week are:

42 (PG) 2h

OBLIVION (PG) 2h

STILL MINE (PG) 1h, 45min

THE BIG WEDDING (PG) 1h, 30min

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (PG) 2h

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (14A) 2h, 21min

THE SAPPHIRES (PG) 1H, 45min

The Odeon
780 Yates Street
Victoria, BC