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Listings to get the most out of the city: where to dine, what to see, where to shop, and more.
Olympic View Golf Club
With its excellent selection of courses and facilities—from picturesque par-3s to world-class courses carved from the West Coast forest—the south Island is a golfer’s paradise.
If your Victoria visit will include a turn around the links, here is a selection of some of the city’s finest courses. For more ideas, contact Tourism Victoria at 250-953-2033 or stop by the Visitor Centre, downtown on the Inner Harbour. (more…)
Chris Botti
Hot Nights + Cool Jazz
Summer nights in Victoria filled with cool jazz…it doesn’t get any better than that!
More than 350 of the world’s best jazz, blues and worldbeat musicians entertain in over 95 exciting performances on 13 stages in downtown Victoria for the TD Victoria International JazzFest 2012, June 22 to July 1.
Highlights include Chris Botti, Dianne Reeves, George Benson and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Don’t miss Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Janelle Monáe, Terrell Stafford, Delhi 2 Dublin, Balkan Beat Box and Los Amigos Invisibles. With a mix of ticketed events, free performances and workshops, there’s truly something for every music fan.
Summer dreams
Ballet Victoria brings one of Shakespeare’s most beloved performances to life on the Victoria stage this spring.
Coming to the Royal Theatre May 31 and June 1, dance fans will enjoy A Midsummer Night’s Dream and other works, including Vivaldi’s Gloria and a series of Russian songs sung by the Linden Choir: “a vivacious and hilarious retelling of this classic – Ballet Victoria-style – to Mendelson’s stunning music (as) Puck’s mischief plays havoc amongst fairies and mortals in their quest for love.”
Stars on Ice: Love ‘n’ Life
Co-directed and choreographed by skating superstar Kurt Browning, figure skating’s elite visits Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre May 16 with Stars on Ice: Love ‘n’ Life.
Welcoming some of the world’s most creative and cherished champions performing together in both individual and ensemble routines, this year’s tour features a stellar cast of world-renowned athletes, including four-time World Champion and four-time Canadian National Champion Kurt Browning, 2010 Olympic Gold Medalists and World Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist Joannie Rochette and Olympic Bronze Medalist & World Champion Jeffrey Buttle.
Gorgeous Gardens
Enjoy a personal look at some of Victoria’s most stunning private gardens during the 30th annual Victoria Conservatory of Music Mother’s Day Garden Tour, May 12 and 13.
A fundraiser for the Victoria Conservatory of Music, your ticket is your passport into 10 sensational spring landscapes, open from 10am to 4pm both days. Ranging from exotic to native, new to established, country to urban, the gardens will also play host to performances by the conservatory’s talented students and faculty.
Tickets – $30 for a two-day pass – will be available at a variety of locations, including the conservatory (250-386-5311) and Victoria Thrifty Foods locations.
Shirley Valentine
On Stage
Langham Court Theatre stages the summer-friendly 1959 Pink Thunderbird Convertible, two one-act plays in one from James McLure to May 12. In Lone Star, set outside a small town Texas bar, Roy regales his brother, Ray, with stories about his three loves: his country, his wife, and his beloved 1959 pink Thunderbird convertible. In Laundry and Bourbon, bourbon and gossip flow freely while Elizabeth waits for her wayward husband, Roy, with friends Hattie and Amy Lee. As the bottle empties, past indiscretions and present fears bubble to the surface.
Come June, the long-standing community theatre company presents Larry Shue’s “Obie Award-winning farce with a big heart,” The Foreigner. What will people say to your face if they think you cannot understand a word of their language? Shue “answers this question in a hilarious two hours of challenges overcome, evil plans thwarted, and good intentions eventually triumphant.”
Victoria’s Fernwood neighbourhood is home to Theatre Inconnu, presenting Edna Walsh’s The Walworth Farce May 29 to June 16. Winner of the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s Fringe First Award, this hilarious comedy takes farce to new heights as the world’s most dysfunctional family participates in its annual “releasing of the ghosts from the closet,” as father and sons reenact the “incident” that has defined their lunacy.
Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre welcomes Canadian theatre icon Nicola Cavendish back to Victoria to present her award-winning performance of Willy Russell’s international hit Shirley Valentine, May 15 to 20.
For more than 20 years Canadian audiences from coast-to-coast have enjoyed this remarkable one-woman tour-de-force about a neglected housewife that “has enough,” packs her bags and takes off on a journey of self-discovery. Join Cavendish at the McPherson Playhouse and enjoy the trip!
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1942 (left), and Princess Elizabeth and Prince Charles in 1950 (right), both by Cecil Beaton.
Royal BC Museum celebrates
Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee
Join the Royal BC Museum for a special exhibit of personal portraits of Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch celebrates her diamond jubilee this summer.
Opening June 1 and continuing through summer to September 3, this special exhibition of portraits by royal photographer Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) depicts Queen Elizabeth II in her roles as princess, monarch and mother. The exhibition will include a number of previously unpublished images alongside extracts from Beaton’s personal diaries and letters. The photographs are drawn exclusively from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Beaton’s glittering royal portraits were among the most widely published photographs of the twentieth century and helped to shape the public image of the monarchy around the world. The exhibition explores Beaton’s long relationship with the Queen, who was still a teenage princess when Beaton first photographed her in 1942. Over the next three decades, he would be invited to photograph the Queen on many significant occasions, including the Coronation Day.
The exhibit is all the more moving as Beaton’s images depict the Queen and her family both on official occasions and when ‘off-duty.’ Elegant and highly-staged photographs are shown alongside informal glimpses of the royal family at home, interspersed with film and radio footage from the time.
Section one, ‘Princess Elizabeth and the Portrait Tradition’, includes charming portraits of a young Princess Elizabeth with her parents and sister Princess Margaret, set against elaborate painted backdrops inspired by the long tradition of royal portraiture. Section two focuses on the Coronation in 1953, when Beaton’s camera captured both the grandeur and emotion of the occasion. In contrast to the splendid Coronation images, Beaton’s photographs in Section three, The Next Generation, reveal a more intimate and relaxed side of family life. The exhibition will draw to a close with ‘The 1968 Sitting’, including a set of portraits of the Queen in a dark admiral’s boat cloak against a plain background, which convey the magnitude of the role of Britain’s monarch.
Kids’ Stuff
Favourite kids’ entertainers the Kerplunks come to the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium April 14, with catchy tunes guaranteed to get kids engaged, singing along and joining in on the actions. Bass, banjo and kazoo, trumpet, trombone, and more – there’s no better way to put a little spring in your spring step.
A little later in the month, on April 23, the McPherson Playhouse welcomes the stage version of that favourite childhood picture book, Richard Scarry’s Busytown. Be prepared for plenty of music and audience interaction!
Celebration at the Symphony
Toes will be tapping when the Victoria Symphony hosts a Celtic Celebration with The Barra MacNeils March 1 to 3 at the Royal Theatre. Widely regarded as one of the greatest live concert acts in the Celtic world, the Barra MacNeils offer beautiful sibling harmonies complemented by a wide variety of acoustic, stringed, percussion and wind instruments, dancing, storytelling and Gaelic songs to create family entertainment at its highest level.
The symphony turns its attention to the Great White Way with Broadway Spectacular March 30 to April 1. Under the baton of Brian Jackson, the orchestra will be joined by the talented singing and dancing students of the Canadian College of Performing Arts in a showcase of past and present Broadway show-stoppers.
On Stage
Armed with the colourful repertoire of uncategorizable American music icon Tom Waits, Quebec City’s L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres (The One Man Band Band) offer an event that is more of a carnival show or musical circus than just a concert. Coming to the Metro Studio, March 25, this bustling orchestra performs the music of Tom Waits using nearly 100 objects and invented instruments on stage, which they hammer and caress in madcap scenes of unbridled energy.
The Belfry Theatre gets busy March 12 to 25 with its annual SPARK Festival, full of new plays, new ideas and a ton of free events, while at the Langham Court Theatre, March brings Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire. How can a family survive when the light of their lives has gone out? This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama offers a view of personal tragedy that is at once mesmerizing and heart-wrenching, but full of compassion, humour and, finally, hope.
Opening April 26 is 1959 Pink Thunderbird Convertible, two one-act plays in one from James McLure. In Lone Star, set outside a small town Texas bar, Roy regales his brother, Ray, with stories about his three loves: his country, his wife, and his beloved 1959 pink Thunderbird convertible. In Laundry and Bourbon, Bourbon and gossip flow freely while Elizabeth waits for her wayward husband, Roy, with friends Hattie and Amy Lee.
As the bottle empties, past indiscretions and present fears bubble to the surface.
Dance!
America’s master contemporary ballet choreographer, Alonzo King, brings his LINES Ballet to the Royal Theatre March 9 and 10. Performing two finely honed and polished pieces, Resin and Scheherazade, the dancers will transport the audience “to an ethereal world where time stops and imagination is King.”
Come March 16 to 18, Ballet Victoria brings Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to the McPherson Playhouse with new and exciting choreography, live music, poetry and painting – West Coast-style. Guaranteed to recharge your soul!
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet visits April 26 to 28 with Svengali, based on the George du Maurier novel Trilby, created and choreographed by Mark Godden. Yearning for public recognition, Svengali escapes the repression of his mother’s ballet studio and finds the beautiful and malleable young dancer, Trilby. Under Svengali’s entrancing influence, Trilby is transformed into the darling of the ballet world but her star ultimately rises beyond Svengali’s powerful emotional grasp.
After close to 20 years without a Western Hockey League team, Victorians were thrilled to welcome the WHL’s Victoria Royals to town this fall.
Since opening in September to a sold-out crowd at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the players – talented 16 to 20-year-olds striving to make it to The Show – have offered thrilling, fast-paced hockey action for both home fans and visitors alike.
Led by NHL and national team veteran Marc Habscheid as coach and GM, the boys in blue have come off the bench flying on their inaugural season. As members of the WHL, visiting teams this winter will include some of North America’s best such as the Vancouver Giants, the Calgary Hitmen and the Portland Winterhawks. All are vying not only for their league championship, but also a place on the national stage, as the West’s representative at the prestigious Memorial Cup. And, with single-game tickets starting at just $12, there’s no better deal for hockey fans!
For ticket information, visit the Select Your Tickets box office at the arena, call 250-220-7889 or find your perfect seat online at www.selectyourtickets.com
Winter in Victoria brings shorter days for sure, but it also brings a thriving arts calendar with plenty to entertain.
Stage Struck
The University of Victoria’s Phoenix Theatre continues its 2011-12 season with Ben Travers’ witty, fast-paced Rookery Nook, November 3 to 19. Comparable to the comedies of Noel Coward, the tale follows two fun-loving friends who get caught in a tangled web of silly white lies and flirtatious innuendos.
Following in February is Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, a reimagining of the classic myth of Orpheus and the Underworld through the eyes of its quirky heroine, Eurydice – “a magical and little menacing twist on an age-old tale.”
From the city’s historic Belfry Theatre comes David French’s Jitters, November 15 to December 18. As a new play is poised to open, plunge into a hilarious world of larger-than-life personalities, easily bruised egos, faulty props, lost lines and a visit from a big-time producer – all adding to the opening night “jitters” of cast, crew, writer and director.
Come January, it’s time for on the edge at the Belfry January 24 to February 26, featuring Susinn McFarlen in a tour de force performance exploring three women from three very different walks of life.
Langham Court Theatre is one of Victoria’s longest -standing companies for good reason. This winter, enjoy The Beauty Queen of Leenane, November 17 to December 3, featuring drama, suspense and black comedy in a small Irish village. The stage takes on a musical tone in January when Langham Court presents The Drowsy Chaperone, a Tony Award-winner recalling the golden age of musical theatre.
Dance, Victoria!
Take a time out during the hectic holiday season to enjoy Ballet Victoria’s Cinderella & the Fairy Tale Ball, when dazzling fairy tale guests offer music, magic, humour and holiday cheer at the Royal Theatre December 27 to 30.
Dance Victoria’s season continues with England’s Random Dance, from choreographer Wayne McGregor, before welcoming Alberta Ballet and the Victoria Symphony for the holiday production of The Nutcracker, December 2 to 4. Come February, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba visits to present an evening of mixed repertoire of classical ballet.
Making Music
Musical diversity rules this winter as Victoria welcomes shows ranging from Canadian rocker Matthew Good to classic opera.
November 10 to 20 presents the world premiere of Pacific Opera Victoria’s Mary’s Wedding: “The story is eternal. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. But the year is 1914, and Mary and Charlie must surrender their love and their fate to the uncertainties of their tumultuous times.”
Turning the calendar to February, POV presents Bizet’s Carmen, in French with English surtitles. “Bad, beguiling, and dangerous to know, Carmen will never let herself be chained down by any one man. When she fixes on Don José as her next (but certainly not her last) lover, the naïve but volatile young soldier hasn’t a chance… Tragedy is inevitable, but what a ride along the way!”
On a lighter note, the 80-voice Starlight Pops Choir will get toes tapping in February with Pop Rocks!, featuring classic tunes from Elton John, Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, U2, Coldplay and more, February 3 and 5 at St. Aidan’s United Church, 3703 St. Aidan’s St, about 20 minutes from downtown. For details, visit www.starlightpopschoir.com
Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra celebrates a remarkable 26th season with performances November 27 and February 12 at the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium, under the baton of Yariv Aloni.
February’s Salute to the Rat Pack from the Victoria Symphony is sure to be a highlight of the New Year. Join the symphony and vocalist Matt Catingub for a celebration of the music, artistry and songs of Las Vegas and the “Rat Pack,” including I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Night and Day, Ain’t that a Kick in the Head
and A Lot of Livin’ To Do. For more performances see pages 17 to 21.
Wildlife photos at the Royal BC Museum
Head Indoors for these Winter Escapes.
Victoria is indeed a beautiful city no matter what the season, but during the winter, it’s inevitable we’ll have at least a few days that aren’t ideal for outdoor activities. Luckily there’s plenty of indoor options to both inspire and entertain! Here are five of our favourites…
1. Make it the museum. Victoria is blessed with several fine museums that make it easy to while away an hour, an afternoon or a day! Overlooking the harbour is the Royal BC Museum, with its natural history, First Nations and settlement displays. This winter, meet animals around the world with the visiting exhibit Wildlife Photographer of the Year, from London’s Natural History Museum. Around the harbour, the Maritime Museum of British Columbia explores all things nautical, from pirates to the BC Ferries and everything in between!
2. Take in a movie – IMAX style! Also at the Royal BC Museum is the six-storey tall screen of the IMAX Theatre, showing both the ever-popular IMAX films as well as Hollywood movies given a whole new look with the theatre’s state-of-the art technology.
3. Enjoy a little family fun. No matter what your age, who can resist an entertaining stroll through history and literature at Miniature World or the fascinating world of insects and arachnids presented at the Bug Zoo, both within a few minutes’ walk of the Inner Harbour.
4. Chill out at the rink. Victoria boasts two great choices for hockey, the WHL’s Victoria Royals and the BC Hockey League’s Victoria Grizzlies. The Royals heat up the ice at downtown’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, while the Grizzlies entertain fans at the Bear Mountain Arena in Colwood.
5. Get inspired in the garden. The world famous Butchart Gardens is a joy any time of year. In addition to the outdoor gardens, the New Year also brings two indoor features, Spring Prelude and the annual historical exhibit. Take a tropical vacation without ever leaving Vancouver Island with a visit to the beautiful Victoria Butterfly Gardens, also on the Saanich Peninsula. With colourful birds, butterflies, fish and flowers, it’s impossible to visit and not be inspired.
David Bukach Photo / Courtesy Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre
Timber!
Much of British Columbia was built on logging and the Royal BC Museum is celebrating this history in August with Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger, “a rollicking musical revue celebrating the time when loggers climbed trees.”
The ensemble performance of stellar local artists plays against a multi-media backdrop of outstanding archival imagery, August 8 to 27. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Rhymes of the Western Logger, a compilation of logging camp poetry by Robert E. Swanson, creators Ross Desprez and creative partner Tobin Stokes have gathered a stellar cast for this entertaining romp through the past. Set against a multi-media backdrop of rarely seen images from the BC Archives, John Gogo, Mark Hellman, Kelt and Colleen Eccleston, Sarah Donald and Desprez act, sing and play everything from guitar to handsaw. Original music ranges from Celtic and country to folk and blues, to accompany the loggers’ poetry.
Five Summer Must-See Events
1. Take in the TD Art Gallery Paint-In, along Moss Street from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to Dallas Road July 16. See many of the city’s finest artists at work, relax in the food and beverage garden and enjoy evening music and dancing with Kumbia.
2. Head to the Inner Harbour early July 30 for Symphony Splash, the musical event of summer with the Victoria Symphony and special guests performing from a
floating stage in the harbour.
3. The Organic Islands & Sustainability Festival, July 9 and 10, brings together an amazing array of green-themed products, services and ideas, paired with food, entertainment and kids’ activities in the lovely setting of Glendale Gardens.
4. August 12 to 14 brings the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival to the Inner Harbour. Cheer on the remarkable athletes and enjoy cultural foods and entertainment in a weekend of exciting competition, camaraderie and community.
5. Take in a local farmer’s market. Favourites include Moss Street, the Peninsula Country Market, the Thursday night market in Sidney and the Oak Bay Night Market.
Sensational Summer Theatre
Summer has become synonymous with Shakespeare for many theatre buffs.
Here in the capital city, the Victoria Shakespeare Society continues the tradition with its annual Shakespeare Summer Festival at Camosun College’s Lansdowne Campus, July 4 to August 13.
This season, take in a female Hamlet, directed by David MacPherson, and Comedy of Errors, directed by Clayton Jevne, with the plays performed on alternating nights.
At the Belfry Theatre July 5 to 17, join Atomic Vaudeville and the teenage chamber choir from Uranium, Saskatchewan in the comedy/tragedy/musical Ride the Cyclone.
When the students die in a roller coaster accident at a travelling fair, “Karnack, a mechanized fortune-telling machine, feels responsible for the young choir’s demise, and gives the teens a chance to express themselves to the world after death. Ride the Cyclone is their final recital, where they celebrate their individuality while coming to terms with their untimely demise.”
While Victoria offers plenty to keep you entertained this summer, extending your visit to explore some of the treasures awaiting up Island is a highly recommended way to while away the summer. Here are a few of our favourite Island destinations…
Salt Spring Island
35-minute ferry trip from Sidney/Swartz Bay
Salt Spring Island is a tranquil, island paradise renowned for its relaxed lifestyle, natural beauty, art galleries, studios, wineries and gift shops. Visit on Saturdays and take in the huge outdoor market where Salt Spring’s accomplished artisans and farmers display their fine products. Hiking trails at Ruckle Provincial Park, country roads ideal for cycling and wonderful kayaking are among the many possibilities here. (more…)
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