19 things to do in and around Victoria this weekend – May 1st to 3rd

It’s the weekend, Victoria!

The sun is out and the birds are chirping, it’s a wonderful time to be living in this beautiful city.

Get out and enjoy the sunshine while watching the Pacific FC, or head to the legendary Times Colonist book sale for some great deals.

Whether you want to party it with Kim Churchill at the Capital Ballroom or get some plants for the garden at the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary Native Plant Sale, there’s something going on for everyone this weekend.

Here are 19 things to do in and around Victoria this weekend – May 1st to 3rd:

ALL WEEKEND

Times Colonist Book Sale

The Times Colonist annual book sale is back!

The day usually starts off with a lineup around the block, so be prepared to be patient—grab a coffee, bring friends and meet new people!

Books cost $4 for hardcovers and $2 for softcovers and children’s books. Payment is by cash, debit, MasterCard, Visa or American Express.

Don’t forget to wear comfy shoes and bring bags for your books. There will be a limited number of bags and many boxes available at the event.

The event is free to attend.

• Where: Victoria Curling Club, 1952 Quadra Street
• When: 
  • Saturday, May 2nd – 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 3rd – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Swan Lake Native Plant Sale

Go get some native plants for your garden or patio!

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary will be having their 31st annual native plant sale.

Established in 1996, Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary (a charitable non-profit organization) started this sale as the first of its kind on Vancouver Island to introduce people to the cultural importance, beauty and efficiency of gardening with native plants.

This wonderful community event remains the largest and most diverse offering on the south island.

Admission and parking is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

• Where: Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Road
• When: 
  • Saturday, May 2nd – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 3rd – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

May Market at Hillside Shopping Centre

The Local Inc. will be back at Hillside Centre May 2 & 3 for an indoor market featuring 20 local vendors!

Head down for some tasty treats, delicious drinks, energetic entertainment and awesome art this weekend.

Entry is free and everyone is welcome.

• Where: Hillside Mall, 1644 Hillside Avenue
• When: Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Victoria Pet Expo at Pearkes Recreation Centre

Head over to the Pearkes Recreation Centre for a two day pet lifestyle and education conference.

Learn about your pet’s gut-brain connection, how to boost their immune system, soothe their joint pain, calm their anxiety, how they communicate with you and so much more from industry experts.

Try a DIY! Learn how to bath your pet at home with safe products, how to clip their nails while keeping them calm, how to make homemade treats, how to stop leashing pulling, or learn how to make your pet “insta-famous” from workshops.

Play with your pet during the day at the Victoria Pet Expo.

Admission for this event is $5 at the door, but be sure to get there early as the first 250 people in line will receive Bosleys PetValu swag bags!

• Where: Pearkes Recreation Centre, 3100 Tillicum Road
• When: Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Short Circuit Film Festival at the Vic Theatre

The Short Circuit Film Festival finishes its island tour in Victoria!

Join them for night one of the festival on Friday night, which will feature 11 short films, beginning at 5 p.m., or for night two on Saturday, which will feature another 11 films.

Or join them for Indie + Industry night. A full day of professional development for filmmakers including brunch, panels and networking at Chateau Victoria.

Ticket includes plenty of inspiration, collaboration, food, refreshments and breaks throughout the day.

Tickets for the different events can be purchased here.

• Where: The Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas Street
• When: 
  • Friday, May 1st – 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 2nd – 5 p.m.

FRIDAY

Patrick Watson at the Royal Theatre

Patrick Watson composes, performs and records his albums with his long-time bandmate and collaborator and multi-instrumentalists Mishka Stein and Olivier Fairfield.

The Canadian artist reached gold and platinum status in over multiple countries (including five certified gold albums in Canada), and his shows sell out around the world.

Over the course of his career, Watson has retained the uncanny ability to coexist in mainstream pop-culture spaces and on the avant-garde fringes.

Watson’s songs have been featured in primetime crowd-pleasers like Grey’s Anatomy and This Is Us, as well as in multiple arthouse films from Denis Villeneuve (Polytechnique), Wim Wenders (Perfect Days) and Philippe Falardeau (C’est pas moi, je lejure!) and more.

He’s an artist who’s as comfortable performing impromptu pop-up shows on the train tracks in a Quebec mining town as he is leading the BBC Orchestra at London’s prestigious Barbican.

Watson has proved himself an in-demand composer with over 15 film scores under his belt. He was awarded the prestigious inaugural Impact Award at the 2024 Canadian Sync Awards.

The composer has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go to local organizations working to fight hunger and food insecurity in their communities.

Tickets start at $53.25 and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street
• When: Friday, May 1st – 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Kim Churchill at Capital Ballroom

If you’ve never been to a Kim Churchill show, you’re missing out.

An Australian singer-songwriter, he’s got an out-of-this-world acoustic sound and connects with the audience in a way that feels incredibly genuine.

You can usually meet him after the show at his merch stands.

The Capital Ballroom is one of his favourite venues in the world, and he comes almost every year.

He opened for Ziggy Alberts years ago, and was excited to sell out his first show at the venue solo the year after that.

Tickets to the show are  and can be purchased here.

• Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates Street
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 8:30 p.m.

Queens of Soul with Victoria Symphony

Celebrate the legendary divas of Soul and R&B!

The Victoria Symphony joins powerhouse songstresses Kelly Levesque, Tamika Lawrence, and Shayna Steele for iconic songs including Proud Mary, At Last, Rolling in the Deep, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and more.

They will be playing pieces made famous by Tina Turner, Etta James, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, Diana Ross, Carole King, Thelma Houston and Adele.

Tickets start at $34 and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street
• When: Saturday, May 2nd at 2 p.m.

Singles Scavenger Hunt, Ages 25 to 45(ish) with Mint Dating

Join singles as they race around downtown Victoria hunting for treasure!

Grab a friend and enter the singles scavenger hunt!

This is a great way to meet other singles, explore Victoria and have a fun Saturday!

Meet in Market Square on May 2nd at 11 a.m.—just enough time for you to sleep in and grab breakfast before.

You’ll be teamed up with other singles, groups of four, two guys and two gals. Grab your list, your phone (for pictures!) and get running!

There is a prize for the first group to complete the scavenger hunt and we’ll grab lunch once everyone returns.

Everyone will have a chance to mingle and get to know each other. You never know what connections you’ll make!

• Where: Market Square
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 11 a.m.

Ani-K Market at the Da Vinci Centre

Ever been to an anime market?

Victoria’s first curated nerdy, anime, and K-pop themed market featuring over 45 talented vendors and artists, food trucks, anime and hallyu inspired activities and plenty of joy to share with fellow fans.

Get your cosplay on, Victoria!

Admission to the event is only $5 and can be purchased here.

• Where: Da Vinci Centre, 195 Bay Street

• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 10 a.m.

Limo Wreck Live at the Other Guise Theatre

Celebrate an evening of Chris Cornell’s music with live band Limo Wreck performing songs by Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.

Tickets are $25 advance or $30 at the door and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Other Guise Theatre, 716 Johnson Street
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 7:30 p.m.

Lamppost Club Night

Lamppost is hosting their first ever club night!

The business has been gaining momentum quickly, and has been launching various events around town for the community.

While they’re no strangers to hosting events, this will be their first club night, and they are advertising that it is at “the newest venue in town.”

There are only 40 tickets available, which can be purchased on their website.

You don’t want to miss this.

• Where: 650 Yates St
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Doggo de Mayo: Puppy Yoga at Junction Orchard and Cidery

Give back while getting your puppy fix!

This event isn’t just about puppy cuddles and yoga. It’s also about raising awareness for adoption, fostering, volunteering and supporting the animals in our community.

Learn how you can help Victoria Humane Society save and care for dogs in need, all while enjoying a joyful, wellness-focused afternoon.

Join Sweat & Social at Junction Orchard & Cidery for Puppy Yoga, local vendors, mini wellness treatments, curated swag, food, drinks and community fun. All in support of our furry friends.

Puppies will be available to meet and connect with during the event. All adoptions are managed through the Victoria Humane Society and require completion of their standard application and approval process.

Also, 100% of $20 donation tickets and a portion of all tiered ticket sales go directly to the Victoria Humane Society. Purchase tickets here.

• Where: Junction Orchard and Cidery
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

Pacific FC versus Vancouver FC

Pacific FC will be playing once again at Royal Athletic Park.

This is a rare opportunity to see the club play in Victoria rather than their home stadium in Langford, and you don’t want to miss the atmosphere at the park.

They will still be trying to find their first win this season, against a zero-and-three Vancouver FC club.

Tickets are and can be purchased here.

• Where: Royal Athletic Park, 1014 Caledonia Avenue
• When: Sunday, May 3rd – 4 p.m.

Victoria Drum Festival

The 14th annual Victoria Drum Festival is back!

The lineup for the festival will include Brooke Colucci, Craig Blundell, Steve Ferrone, Tommy Clufetos and Tosh Peterson.

Advance physical tickets are available for $40 at several locations around town, follow this link for more information.

There will be tickets available at the door $50, cash only.

• Where: Songhees Wellness Centre, 1100 Admirals Road
• When: Sunday, May 3rd – 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Infiorata: Flower Creation Street Fest

Inspired by an event held in Spello, Italy for more than 50 years, this event consists of a friendly free contest in which families, community groups and artists get together in teams to design artistic creations on the pavement using only flowers, leaves and seeds.

The community will vote on each artistic creation.

The event is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

• Where: Sir James Douglas School Yard, 401 Moss Street
• When: Sunday, May 3rd – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

May Day Spring Fair at Sea Cider

Head down to Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse and enjoy a magical day at the annual May Day spring fair!

Enjoy the indoor and outdoor market fair, featuring 35 hand-picked artisan vendors.

Treat yourself to an ice cream, feast on delicious food and drink, get crafty, dance a jig, enjoy live music and enjoy all the festivities.

The market is free to attend.

• Where: Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse, 2487 Mount Saint Michael Road
• When: Sunday, May 3rd – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Daniel Romano’s Outfit at Capital Ballroom

Head down to the Capital Ballroom for some new wave rock and roll!

The Outfit have released career defining new album, Preservers of the Pearl, asserting themselves as messengers of the new wave of underground rock and roll, pushing the movement forward alongside fellow trailblazers Mystery Lights, Sheer Mag, Shadow Show UniBoys and more.

Tickets are $36.06 and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates Street
• When: Sunday, May 3rd – 8 p.m.

Houseworx at Lucky Bar

Catch some house music at Lucky Bar!

Houseworx is bringing you a fresh lineup, flying in producer and live performer G.Roy from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

With dozens of releases on many prominent House imprints, G.Roy remixes his own productions on the fly to bring you an all original set.

With Support from J-Feud, Sarah-Hannah and Kaelyn Sophi.

Tickets are $22.63 and can be purchased here.

• Where: Lucky Bar, 517 Yates Street
• When: Saturday, May 2nd – 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Have an event this weekend that isn’t on the list? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to include the where and when!