5 things to do in and around Victoria this Thursday, June 25th

Happy Thursday, Victoria!

Summer is in full swing here in Garden City, and some of the city’s most beloved festivals are underway.

If you’re looking for some incredible jazz, ska, reggae or just some cool music to vibe to, try hitting JazzFest or Skafest at one of the many venues around town.

If that’s not your thing, try a drag show in honour of Pride at the Fernwood Inn, some live music at the Westshore Town Centre or hit the Esquimalt Farmers Market!

There’s so much to do in Victoria—get out and get involved!

Here are 5 things to do in and around Victoria this Thursday, June 25th:

Esquimalt Farmers Market

This food-first market is a foodie’s dream!

Peruse an amazing selection of local businesses, pick up a delicious dinner from a hot food vendor and enjoy twice nightly musical performances while the kids run wild in the onsite playground.

In addition to food, there will be a fantastic selection of artisans and crafters yielding everything from soap to hand-printed tea towels, clothing, jewellery and more.

The weekly vendor map will be posted on the Esquimalt Market website so you can see who will be there each week and plan your trips.

Parking is limited at this location so organizers recommend walking, using transit (#15 or #26 bus) or riding your bicycle.

• Where: Memorial Park, 1200 Esquimalt Road
• When: Thursday, June 25th – 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cello with Elena at Westshore Town Centre

The Westshore Town Centre’s Summer Music Series is here!

Kicking off with some Cello with Elena, these events are going to be happening every Thursday evening at the Westshore Town Centre, on the pathway behind the RBC.

Soak up some summer atmosphere and grab some take-out from one of the many local restaurants!

These events are free and everyone is welcome to attend.

• Where: Westshore Town Centre, 2945 Jacklin Road – in the pathway behind RBC.
• When: Thursday, June 25th – 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Bu Von Blume at Victoria Skafest at Ship Point

That bodacious band of costumed disco fanatics, Bu Von Blume will perform their weird, wild and wonderful repertoire this coming Thursday at Ship Point in Victoria!

Bu Von Blume is a silly band. They hail from the small village of Cumberland, where most of them are school teachers or music teachers of some kind. But they love disco. A lot.

So they write music to jump around to, bell bottom pants kinda stuff. Funk and ska too, cumbia and even Balkan.

They’ve been invited to play on big stages, like the Victoria Ska and Reggae Fest, Islands Folk Fest, Mountain Muse Fest and Pachena Bay Music Fest to name a few, and always leave the audience with dropped jaws and sore dancing feet.

Famed for their interactive performance, incorporating silly and simple audience games, ‘Blumers’ (as their fans are called), keep coming back for more!

They’re putting the silly things they learned in schools to use with all ages. And it’s a ton of fun.

The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

• Where: Ship Point, Inner Harbour
• When: Thursday, June 25th – 4:20 p.m.

Drag the Inn at the Fernwood Inn

Things are going to get spicy, campy and electrifying as four local drag artists heat up the Fernwood Inn for a night of drag, shenanigans and hijinks.

The hair is big, the numbers are campy and the fun keeps rolling in as local drag returns to the Fernwood Inn!

Join the dynamic drag trio of Victoria’s bearded and campy theatre queen Woofie; the fresh, zesty and spunky Vivian Vanderpuss; British import, comedy queen and high camp connoisseur Ket Bush; plus special guests, JJ Rabbit and Sylvester Stalletto.

It’s Pride month, let’s celebrate!

Enjoy delicious cocktails, local brews and a full menu over two sets of over-the-top drag numbers, comedy and delicious surprises.

Only single tickets at community tables are still available, and go for $21.69. Get yours here before they sell out.

• Where: The Fernwood Inn, 1302 Gladstone Avenue
• When: Thursday, June 25th – 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Mark Lettieri for TD JazzFest at The Coda 

Texas-based five-time Grammy-winning guitarist, composer, producer and instructor Mark Lettieri is one of modern groove music’s defining voices.

Best known as a longtime member of the genre-blurring collective Snarky Puppy, as well as a founding member of The Fearless Flyers alongside Cory Wong, Lettieri has built an international reputation as a session musician proficient in a multitude of styles.

He has recorded and performed in virtually every genre of popular music with both independent and major-label artists, ranging from Erykah Badu to David Crosby.

With the Mark Lettieri Group, he channels instrumental funk, jazz fusion and R&B into tightly arranged, groove-forward compositions reminiscent of The Meters, John Scofield and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters era.

Although he has toured Canada extensively, this marks his long-anticipated TD Victoria International JazzFest debut as a bandleader.

Guitarists, groove enthusiasts and fusion fans alike should secure tickets early. This will be one of the festival’s most rhythmically explosive nights.

Tickets are $48 plus fees and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Coda, 751 Yates Street
• When: Thursday, June 25th – 9 p.m.