After a period of controversy earlier this month, the City of Victoria eventually decided to approve $135,000 from their contingency budget to cover additional costs of policing for Canada Day and other military events in 2019.
In light of their announcement, Canada Day celebrations will be going on as planned, with a plethora of exciting events as always for the 50,000 expected attendees in downtown Victoria on July 1st.
See also:
- Victoria council approves funding for this year’s Canada Day policing costs
- Victoria councillor Ben Isitt calls out “corporate media” after backlash on military event spending
This year, the City of Victoria, with financial support from the BC government and the Government of Quebec Canadian Francophonie Financial Support grant program, will be bringing back fan favourite activities like the Family Zone for kids, the “Living Flag”, an extensive musical lineup, and of course, a much-awaited spectacular fireworks display.
“Canada Day celebrations are about the story… the story of the pride of being Canadian, the story of the life and experiences expressed through our artists’ music, and the story about being Canadian and having the privilege to live, work and enjoy music being performed on the homelands of our Indigenous people,” said Charlayne Thornton-Joe, Victoria City Councillor and Victoria’s Canada Day organizer.
Festivities for the whole family begin at 10:30 a.m. with Family Zone on the Legislature Lawn featuring the Bateman Foundation Gallery of Nature hosting a family-friendly colouring activity with information about at-risk species.
A collection of preserved bug specimens will be on display courtesy of the Victoria Bug Zoo, and families can also participate in creating an art installation facilitated by the Unity Mandala Project.
As always, kids can also get their faces painted for free before heading over to the bouncy castle to continue their day of fun!
Main Stage lineup
A variety of musicians and performers will be taking the Main Stage on the Legislature Lawns to kick off the celebrations.
Here’s a full list:
- 4:20 p.m. – Dominic Pelletier of the rock band Caravane: Quebec-based musician who has travelled solo in recent years and is focused on pushing his explosive and dynamic live show even further, making sure to captivate audiences everywhere he goes.
- 5:15 p.m. – Johnny Gr4ves: A Victoria-native who has been collaborating with Electronic powerhouse duo Pegboard Nerds since the age of 16.
- 6:10 p.m. – Fortune Killers: An Alternative/Indie band who make glitter and grit collide, having just released their debut album Temper Temper.
- 6:55 p.m. – Caleb Hart: A musician who grew up in the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, now calls Victoria home and blends a variety of genres in his musical stylings.
- 7:40 p.m. – Diamond Café: Victoria’s very own Tristan Thompson, with the song “The Way You Used To Love Me” as their latest song featured on HBO’s Ballers and countless playlists.
- 8:35 p.m. – Khanvict: a Pakistani-Canadian DJ and producer who explores his roots through his music blending elements of classic Bollywood, Sufi and Panjabi music with Bass, Moombahton and Trap.
- 9:30 p.m. – nêhiyawak (pronounced neh-HEE-o-wuk) from Edmonton: An Alternative/Indie band that shares with its audience their unique expression of Indigeneity in Canada today.
More highlights
Patrons can expect other Canada Day favourites to be making a comeback, including the Coast Capital Savings “Living Flag” and of course, the annual fireworks display.
The ‘Living Flag’ display has typically been a highly popular event, with thousands of Victorians participating in the annual photo.
This year, over 2,400 red and white T-shirts will be available courtesy of Coast Capital Savings for pick up starting at noon. However, participants can also bring their own red or white T-shirt to guarantee a spot.
Participants will start assembling on the Legislature Lawn at 1:30 p.m. for the photo which will be taken at 2 p.m.
Visitors to Downtown Victoria on July 1st can also expect to feast on a variety of meals, snacks, and beverages courtesy of the Flavour of Canada Food Village.
The events and activities of the day will all culminate in an eye-popping fireworks display over Victoria’s Inner Harbour, which starts at 10:20 p.m.
BC Transit will be running on a regular Sunday schedule with additional buses standing by along the Douglas Street corridor to depart from downtown after the fireworks.
