Wakey Wakey, Esquimalt!
By fan affair, Buccaneer Days is returning to the township!
The 3-day event will take place from Friday, May 12th to Sunday the 14th at Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sport Centre.
With the parade taking place on Saturday, May 13th at 10 a.m the family event has been celebrated since 1939 as a way to honour the May Queen, a concept rooted in early celebrations of fertility, planting and flowers.
After these traditional celebrations were abandoned, Esquimalt Days took the place of the spring tribute and by 1966 the event was once again revamped to Buccaneer Days.
Now 57 years later, at the start of May the township celebrates the early morning tradition of the blasting sounds of “Wakey, Wakey!” from a speaker of a moving vehicle alerting residents of a community celebration that awaits.
Upon the boisterous announcement the township quickly transforms as hundreds of participants don their naval and pirate attire, vying for prizes for the best costume.
Now with more than 20 community organizations taking part, Buccaneer Days has become a way to allow the community of Esquimalt to come together to have a great time and instill a feeling of accomplishment and pride in their community.
This year, guests can look forward to a fun-filled weekend with activities for all ages including a midway carnival, dances, live entertainment.
Unlike previous years cash will not be accepted to participate in the weekend-long event.
This time around, a wristband will be required. Wristbands are currently $35 leading up to Buccaneer day and $45 on the event day.
With Buccaneer Days only a few weeks away, what are you most excited about this year’s celebration?
Esquimalt Buccaneer Days
- When: Friday, May 12th to Sunday, May 14th
- Where: Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sport Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Road
