Sat. July 1 - All the events happening today

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

The region is jam-packed full of Canada Day festivities (and a good handful of other things going on, too). So we’ve put together a guide for you to find whatever is closest to you—or most interesting.

Have a safe day and a relaxing long weekend!

—Cam

🌤️ Today's weather: Mainly sunny, wind in late afternoon. High 21C, low 11C.

🌫️ Air quality: Low risk today (2/10), no smoke expected.

NEWS

Things to do in Greater Victoria on Canada Day

With Canada turning 156 years old today, the region is packed with activities from pancake breakfasts in the morning to fireworks in the evening. Here’s our list of some of the best events for ya, eh!

🇨🇦 Victoria's Canada Day
Festivities on Belleville and the Legislature lawn begin at noon and culminate with fireworks over the Inner Harbour at 10:20pm. Main stage performers include Juno-nominated singer Jill Barber, the Blue Hearts, and Alpha Centauri. An Indigenous Artisan Collective pop-up market will showcase work from six vendors, while featured food trucks will include Mama Rosie’s and Hungry Bubba’s. There are bouncy castles, obstacle courses, and face painting for the kids.

🥧 Langford's Canada Day
The fun at Starlight Stadium begins with a free pancake breakfast at 9am, followed by hot wing-eating and pie baking contests. Afternoon festivities include an obstacle course, a bocce tournament, and a cedar-weaving workshop. Performances by the Uminari Taiko Japanese drumming group, Island Rhythmic Gymnastics, and magician Jason Verners. 10am-3pm.

🛶 Gorge Canada Day Picnic 
Events along the Gorge span from Tillicum to Admirals. A pancake breakfast and family parade highlight the morning activities, starting 9am, and food vendors and a market will be open until 4pm. Other activities include kids’ inflatables, canoe and dragon boat rides, and the Gorge Tillicum Canada Day Show & Shine car show. There will be three music stages:

• Main Stage: Esquimalt First Nations Dancers, Paradise Street, Stephanie Cadman Trio, and Freeze Frame

• Art Stage on the Gorge: Victoria Conservatory of Music musicians

• Busker’s Corner: Local musicians

🎈 Sidney Days Canada Day Celebrations
A pancake breakfast at the Mary Winspear Centre (8am) will be followed by a parade (11:30am) through downtown Sidney. A family fun fair starts at 12:30pm in Iroquois Park, with lawn games, contests, food, and music.

🥁 Canada Day Drumming Circle (Legislature)
Before the main Legislature event there will be a drumming circle for diversity and unity on the lawn beginning at 10:45am, with a focus on Canadian immigrants. It will feature the Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club, and a lion dance at 11:05am.

🍦 Canada Day at Fort Rodd Hill (Colwood)
A giant Canada Day flag will be displayed at the historic site’s Fisgard Lighthouse during festivities including music and heritage-themed ice cream. 10am-4pm.

🎉 Canada Day at Craigflower Manor (View Royal)
View Royal’s activities will include a traditional Highland Games, dance performances, children’s games, and a concession stand. 9am-6pm.

🥞 Canada Day at Huntingdon Manor (James Bay)
A free pancake breakfast at the manor hotel (with donations collected for Victoria Women's Transition House) plus children’s activities, face painting, and a First Nations artist booth. 8am-11am.  

🎩 Sooke Flats (Sooke)
Locals are invited to the Sooke River Campground to watch performances, join in on games, and taste treats from food vendors. Plus music bingo, a magic show, balloon twisting, karaoke, and more. 11am-5:30pm.

🎆 Fireworks and music at Butchart Gardens
The band Tropic Mayhem will perform on the garden’s open-air stage at 7:15pm, followed by a firework display (the first of the summer season) choreographed to music at 10:15pm.

🌊 Future Oceans Canada Day
View the Tides are Changing exhibit at Victoria International Marina, alongside live performances from the Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet and pianist Pippa Williams. 5pm.

🪕 Festivus (Metchosin)
The Metchosin Arts and Culture Centre is hosting Family Festivus, a DIY family friendly market with over 30 vendors, local food, and performances—and free cake. The eclectic music includes drumming, tuba, ukulele, upright bass, and more. 3-8pm.

🎶 Tragically Hip tribute
The most iconic Canadiana band is celebrated in tribute band Straight from the Hip’s final show at The Duke today. Starts 8pm.

Capital Bulletin

🚌 Bus service: Buses run on a Sunday schedule today, but with extra trips and late-night service to 2am.There will also be bus detours in the city centre and in Sidney for the parade.

🅿️ Free car and bike parking downtown: Parking will be free at City of Victoria parkades and at on-street meters, while the free bike valet will run 10am-10pm.

🚧 Downtown road closures include parts of Belleville and Menzies. [Full list]

♻️ Learn about recycling used oil and antifreeze today at Gorge Tillicum Canada Day Show and Shine car show.

🚦 Construction halted at Malahat Tunnel Hill for long weekend to accommodate increased traffic Fri.-Mon. Reduced speed limits remain. The province says to expect heavy traffic on both the Malahat and the Cameron Lake part of Hwy 4.

🔎 Missing teen girl found safe, as of Friday, after being reported this past week.

NEWS

Picnics, piggybacks, & (literally) stolen bases: Victoria’s iconic Drag Baseball game returns today

The Memorial Drag Ball Game is not your typical game of softball.

When players steal bases, they quite literally pick up the base and run away with it. Cleats are sometimes swapped out for stilettos or platform boots. There have been picnics at second base, cartwheel home runs, and piggy backs. The mayor throws the first pitch, but it’s more likely to be an orange or a water balloon than an actual ball.

The Memorial Drag Ball Game will be back at Victoria West Park on Canada Day—today—at noon. Put on by the Victoria Pride Society, it’s a fun event for all ages to watch, complete with food, drinks, local entertainers, and face painting. And for the kings, queens, and gender performers who want to play, all they have to do is dress up.

It’s drag kings versus drag queens: players on the queens team should don a wig and dress; players on the kings team should pencil on a mustache or beard. Cheating is technically not allowed until the second inning, but that’s often too hard to enforce. Even the scorekeeper can’t be trusted—the game always ends in a tie. Other than that, there are very few rules.

“There’s a lot of mayhem and silliness,” said David Tillson, former president of the Victoria Pride Society and longtime drag ball emcee and scorekeeper. “We all cheat. They kind of play baseball, they do. And then I just try and control the mayhem.”

But the game is more than just fun—it’s a tradition that began 30 years ago as a way to memorialize the victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including some of the original local competitors.

Read more about Drag Ball, its history, and why this event is unique to Victoria.

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Capital Picks

⚾ Victoria HarbourCats vs. Bellingham Bells: A matinee match, with the first pitch at 1:05pm.

🪴 Horticultural Gardens open & by donation: The Horticultural Centre of the Pacific welcomes visitors 9am-4pm by donation today.

🕺 Astrocolor Summer Kick Off: Get out your dancing shoes for this summertime party, featuring two rooms with DJs and live performers—and of course, the lively jazz-electro-fusion band Astrocolor, who you may remember from our profile story.

🎷 Heather Ferguson is joined by some of Victoria's top jazz musicians, Tony Genge, Joey Smith, and Kelby MacNayr—to rock the street with the greatest songs of the 20th century! 3pm on Saturday at Broad and Fort—and it's free!*

🎺 Free JazzFest concerts at Bullen Park: Today's lineup in Esquimalt will feature Lorraine Nygaard Quartet, West Coast Soul Collective, Pacific Blue Big Band, The New Groovement, Pulkes Band, and The Midnights. 12-8:30pm.

🎙️ Kristina Helene at Hotel Grand Pacific: JazzFest continues tonight with the hometown singer performing at the Fathom Lounge, 9pm.

🤝 Now hiring: Cooks at The Butchart Gardens.

*Sponsored Listing

In Other News

🚌 Closed alcohol allowed on today’s buses after all
BC Transit relaxed the July 1 policy after criticism that banning both open and closed containers—primarily to limit public disorder later on—was unnecessarily inconvenient to people going shopping or to private gatherings. Local MLA Rob Fleming said he has asked for a review to make the policy clearer and more consistent. [CHEK]

💰 Local retiree wins $500K in lottery
The avid reader says he hasn’t slept properly since the win, but plans to help his children and do even more exploring of the Olympic Peninsula. He got his ticket on June 10 at the Rexall on Admirals—only a five-minute drive from the View Royal grocery where a local couple won a staggering $35M just a few weeks earlier.

🤝 Now Hiring

Thinking of making your next career move? Let us help!

• Sales and Marketing Administrator at Inclusion System

• Cooks at The Butchart Gardens

• Mid to Senior Software Engineer at SingleOps

• Comfort Advisor (Outside Sales) at Sasquatch Heat Pumps

• Tax Coordinator at Together Against Poverty Society

• Digital Marketing Specialist at Westin Bear Mountain Resort & Spa

• Life Enrichment Coordinator at Amica Senior Lifestyles

• Client Support Technician at ISM

• Account Coordinator at Capital Daily

Looking for more openings? See 50+ jobs open now on YYJobs.

Hiring? Post your job to have it featured here, and fill your opening fast!

In Case You Missed It

⚾ Behind the scenes of local baseball: An inside look at the HarbourCats as they opened their season at Royal Athletic Park. [Capital Daily]

📰 Friday’s headlines: Nanaimo’s Lisa Marie Young still missing, Saanich approves on-leash pet strategy, Google to remove Canadian news links, and more. [June 30]

⛴️ BC Ferries cancellations: This long weekend has eight fewer daily Swartz Bay — Tsawwassen sailings due to an unplanned vessel repair. BC Ferries says travellers should expect cancellations this summer.

🗞️ Westshore headlines: Calls for Esquimalt-Metchosin MLA to resign as minister, Canada Day events, tenants still displaced from RidgeView Place, SD62 needs space, and more. [June 29]

📰 Thursday’s headlines: Online inquiry form created for those impacted by Victoria investment firm, five puppies missing after Nanaimo theft, Victoria Pride Festival begins, and more. [June 29]

💊 BC’s new pharmacist booking system: Book prescription appointments for minor ailments and contraceptives through a new online system.

🚔 A year since Saanich shootout: One year later, three of six police officers injured in a shootout outside a Shelbourne bank are still physically recovering.