Tea enthusiasts will be able to gather for the yearly Victoria Tea Festival Revival on October 5, but according to the International Tea Appreciation Society (ITAS), who present this non-profit event, it’s more than just a celebration of tea.
“The tea festival is a celebration of art and culture. If you have even a passive interest in art and culture you are going to connect with the showcase,” says ITAS president Jared Nyberg. “And if you have never enjoyed tea you should still come down, because a lot of times when someone does not like tea it’s because they have not had a really good tea, and there is some fantastic tea which is going to be served by some incredibly talented people.”
Nyberg recommends this festival not only for tea lovers but for anyone interested in the art behind making and drinking tea. He says that the festival is an immersive experience that engages and educates people about the world of tea.
“It is essentially a tea adventure,” he says. “You are going through a tea fair, kind of like a farmers market with tea merchants and educators from all over. There is a tea ceramics museum… There is a school down at the bottom. We have all of these talks that are happening about really interesting subjects. Basically, you bring your own tea cup and go around a number of different merchant educators, you learn, drink tea, and have an awesome time.”
Nyberg says that the Tea Festival Revival plays a role in maintaining Victoria’s rich tea culture, as without the festival, it would be hard for tea lovers to gather and connect.
“Victoria is known as a tea city. I am not sure that without this we will be able to have a place for those who are passionate about tea to congregate… I think it is popular because we have not turned it into an expo,” says Nyberg. “This is for the community… We are never going away, we are really trying to keep the momentum going. We have a really strong board of directors and folks that are really passionate about this.”
This year the festival is expecting 20 to 30 vendors. As the festival grows, new features are being added to enhance the experience.
“[This year] tea documentaries will be screened. Also, it was hard to get to see the tea ceramics gallery last year because it was so small, so I think this year there will be more of an opportunity for people to see that,” he says. “There are also opportunities to volunteer; we are always looking for people who are trying to help.”
In addition to all the features in this year’s festival, there’s also the World Tea Championships. Nyberg says that anyone can register to participate, and there’s also an opportunity to learn.
“We are going to have the World Tea Championships that will be happening at the same time so you can register for that and you can compete,” he says. “It is going to be a gongfu tea style so you can also learn if you register beforehand. A teacher is offering free lessons on how to prepare tea gongfu style.”
For Nyberg and the ITAS, the most important thing is to create a meaningful experience for the attendees.
“If we can build on the community and we can have people come away from this festival feeling like they had some fun, they have learnt something, they have had some delicious tea, that’s our win, that is what we are hoping for,” says Nyberg. “I hope they try to take away some of the passion that some of these folks have for tea, they perhaps go home inspired by the experience.”
Victoria Tea Festival Revival
11 am to 5 pm Saturday, October 5
$15 to $45 sliding scale,
Nootka Court
victeafestrevival.org