There’s no place like on the water.
An event to delight boat enthusiasts, the Classic Boat Festival will sail into Victoria’s Inner Harbour for the Labour Day weekend, taking place from Friday, September 4th to Sunday, September 6th.
The festival is hosted by the Maritime Museum of British Columbia (MMBC) and is intended to honour maritime heritage in the province.
Visitors to the festival will be able to explore the docks, where up to 100 classic boats will be moored, as well as enjoy a wide range of events throughout the event, including a couple of the weekend’s highlights—the sail past and sail race.
The sail past and sail race will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Museum says the best spots to view the vessels take off will be the Ogden Point Causeway, Clover Point or Barb’s Fish and Chips at Fisherman’s Wharf.
The festival will also feature food from Yacht Dogs Café each day, who will be serving up hot dogs, veggie dogs, coffee and more from the floating dock beside the ramp from the causeway to the Inner Harbour docks.
Several performers will be taking the stage over the weekend, including Michael Wilford & Joshua Litton and friends, Donny B, MMBC’s Salty Singers and Hounds of Cuchulain.
The oldest vessel taking part in this year’s festival is a Rainbow Skiff-Gig, built in the late 1800s.
The museum says similar skiff-gigs were found on Royal Navy warships, and that this vessel was likely built in Victoria or Esquimalt before the arrival of the Royal Canadian Navy’s first vessel, the HMCS Rainbow, was transferred from the Royal Navy in 2010.
Boater registration is still open and can be completed here.
Admission to the festival is by donation at entry, with a $5 donation suggested.
The festival is sure to be first rate, so grab some friends or family and head down to the Inner Harbour on Labour Day weekend!
Classic Boat Festival
- Where: Inner Harbour
- When:
- Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th – 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, September 6th – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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