Category: Art, History and Culture

The Nanaimo International Jazz Festival

September 17, 2018

It’s only natural that Nanaimo, with it’s rich and vibrant music scene, play host to such an incredible event as the Nanaimo Jazz Festival. Last year was the first of these festivals; this year, in 2018, it returns for the second time to welcome performers from across the globe. On September 21-23, musicians will gather in our pocket of Vancouver Island for a tremendous weekend of musical performances and celebration. Recently, we connected with Festival Administrator Jill Smith, to learn more about this incredible event. Here is what we found out: Last year was the inaugural Nanaimo Jazz Festival; what […]

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Locals Know Nanaimo

July 31, 2018

Aaramë from the Nanaimo Art Gallery What is there to do on a rainy day in Nanaimo? Brave the rain and explore nature I’ve lived on the BC coast my whole life, so I’m not afraid of the rain. If it’s a big winter storm, it’s fun to go up to Bowen Park and see how high the river has come up or to go for a walk around Westwood Lake or Morell Nature Sanctuary. I love to bring my camera as there is always something interesting growing in the forest. The trees also usually provide a bit of shelter from […]

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Bathtub Weekend 2018

July 16, 2018

July 20th-22nd It all started in 1967 when former mayor of Nanaimo, Frank Ney, famously donned a pirate costume, raised his sword, and launched Nanaimo’s first annual Bathtub Race. “Tubbers” and visitors from around the world have been coming to Nanaimo for more than 40 years to take part in this now world famous festival and race. This year’s Bathtub Festival — a part of the larger, month-long Marine Festival — takes place at Maffeo Sutton Park & Sway-a-Lana Lagoon on the weekend of July 20th to 22nd. The Scoop, Or “Bail Bucket” if You Prefer With a mix of […]

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The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival 2018

July 5, 2018

July 6, 7, & 8, 2018 Maffeo Sutton Park, 10 Comox Rd, Nanaimo, BC Also, check out The InFrinGinG Dance Festival happening the same weekend. This year’s 16th annual Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival (July 6, 7, & 8, 2018) hosts 72 teams from Vancouver Island, Western Canada, and the USA. The event takes place at Maffeo Sutton Park on Nanaimo’s downtown waterfront. Dragon boat racing is an exhilarating sport to take part in or to watch, so you won’t want to miss it! There’s no better way to gain insightful information than talking with the experts, so we contacted Leslie Sutton, the […]

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The InFrinGinG Dance Festival 2018

July 4, 2018

JULY 5-8, 2018 Celebrate diversity through dance Also, check out The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival happening the same weekend. Showcasing an array of music and dance styles, the InFrinGinG Dance Festival brings together performers from across the world. The goal of this event is to allow artists to share a piece of their culture, whether authentically traditional or infused by their contemporary identities. For festival goers, this is an opportunity to explore and learn about different peoples in a fun and interactive way. This festival hosts various events: theatrical productions, interactive performances and workshops, a film-screening, and mass-choreographed public displays […]

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Hammond Bay Studio Tour 2018

May 17, 2018

Discover your 360° What Makes Art Beautiful? What makes a piece of art beautiful? This is a question often asked of artists and something that is hard to define. When we interviewed local painter and lead organizer of the Hammond Bay Studio Tour, Carla Stein, we asked this very question. Carla responded by stating that “beauty, as the saying goes, is in the eye of the beholder.” While Carla couldn’t say what makes art beautiful for everyone, she finds that skill and understanding of the materials an artist chooses to work with can greatly enhance the conceptualization of an artist’s […]

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Cold Weather Activities in Nanaimo

December 15, 2017

While we’re certainly not heralded as snow destination, Nanaimo does get its fair share of chillier days. If you’re travelling during the off season, you can reap all the benefits of areas being less crowded, a stunning fog that rolls over the city, and year-round hikes. The city’s weather is mild in comparison to other parts of Canada, but we still like to bundle up from time to time and hide away from the frost! Here are a few cold-weather activities for your stay in #ExploreNanaimo. Shop Local Nanaimo’s downtown streets fan out from the center, the Bastion, with windows […]

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On This Spot: Jump Back In Nanaimo’s History

November 3, 2017

Andrew from the new On This Spot app chats with us about the app, his favourite points of comparison, and a bit of Nanaimo’s history. Can you tell us a bit about On This Spot? What do people need to know? The On This Spot app takes people on guided walking tours through the history that surrounds them. At each stop on their journey users will find themselves standing on the spot a historic photo was taken. They can view a then and now photo comparison, use the built in camera to create their own, and read about Nanaimo’s history […]

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Yellow Point Country Christmas Tour

November 1, 2017

Christmas shopping is a breezy adventure at the annual Yellow Point Holiday Tour in the Cedar Valley. A relaxed Christmas shopping trip in the country in late November sure beats the prospect of competing for a parking spot at a crowded mall in December. The Yellow Point Country Christmas Tour, November 22 -25, 2018, is a delightfully stress-free and slow-paced way to usher in the holiday season and check off your Christmas gift list at the same time. Make a weekend of it and, with Christmas gift list in hand, download the trail map to find the shops, farms, boutiques, […]

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The play’s the thing – Shakespeare by the Sea and more in Nanaimo

August 17, 2017

More than 400 years after William Shakespeare penned a play, we still can’t get enough of the loveable Bard. It’s no wonder Will’s timeless wit, wisdom, tragedies and comedies keep people coming back every year for Nanaimo’s immensely popular festival, Shakespeare by the Sea. This year it will be held Sept. 15 -17. The seaside location at Pioneer Waterfront Plaza puts a Nanaimo spin on Shakespeare’s works, as does the Vancouver Island Shakespeare Arts Society (VISAS) interpretation on his plays. This year, VISAS will perform the tragedy, King Lear, along with an abridged version of The Complete Works of William […]

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