Victoria gets ice rink despite Occupy protestersAlongside the annual Christmas Tree Light Up, holiday musical performances, and Santa Light Parade, this year Victorians will get to enjoy another Canadian winter tradition with the opening of an outdoor ice-skating rink in Centennial Square. The Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) plans to open the rink by November 26 and it will remain open […] Continue Reading |
Raffi to share ideas at upcoming conferenceMost of us know him from songs we grew up with, like “Baby Beluga” and “Down by the Bay,” but few know that children’s entertainer Raffi Cavoukian (commonly known as Raffi) has his own children’s rights mantra, a mantra that he’s deemed “child honouring.” “It came to me in a vision in 1997; it woke […] Continue Reading |
Fair celebrates vintage fashionFor the past three years, Vintage Fair Victoria has been uniting one-of-a-kind clothes with one-of-a-kind customers. On November 12, over 30 vendors will roll their wares into the Fairfield United Church for the fifth instalment of the event. “Most people that are in this business have done it because they’re collectors, and their collection got […] Continue Reading |
Students get thrifty for interesting clothesFinding well-fitting and stylish secondhand clothing can be a daunting task, but shopping at thrift stores is a great way for students to find affordable clothes. Plus, it’s a way to find items that are a bit different than what’s available in other clothing stores. “I just think it’s more unique, and I like the […] Continue Reading |
Up-island travelling options sparseTravelling up Vancouver Island has become limited since VIA Rail’s temporary closure last April. Fortunately, a plan is in the works. The Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), the non-profit organization that owns the railway on Vancouver Island, has requested federal and provincial funding to make assessments and repairs on the railways’ bridges and trestles. Malcolm Andrew, […] Continue Reading |
Corn maze scares the crap out of patrons, literallyFor self-professed “Halloween junkie” Rob Galey, October couldn’t get any spookier. Since 2000, Galey Farms’ Festival of Fear has been scaring the wits out of young and old alike. What started out as a modest, three-acre corn maze and some creepy sheds and props has grown into a fully animated special-effects fright fest where “everything […] Continue Reading |
Pecha Kucha shares diverse topics20 slides. 20 seconds each. An infinite number of topics. This is the format for Pecha Kucha, a presentation style created in 2003 by two Tokyo architects. The idea has since expanded to 446 cities around the world. Victorians Amanda Smith and Aleya Samji picked up the concept in 2010, and now present four Pecha […] Continue Reading |
Conservation and culinary creation at Chef Survival IVLocal farmer Nathalie Chambers is celebrating the one-year anniversary of saving Madrona Farm by organizing the fourth annual Chef Survival fundraiser. The challenge pits local chefs against several obstacle courses and a boat race to gather ingredients for their culinary creations. After gathering their vegetables, chefs are then forced to use what they call “survival […] Continue Reading |
Steampunk expo returns at CraigdarrochCanada’s biggest steampunk exposition returns to Victoria on September 24 and 25. Its trump card: Craigdarroch Castle. The Victoria Steam Exposition (VSE), now in its second year, celebrates all things steampunk. It consists of vendors and artists hawking their wares, plus music, burlesque, talks from artists and authors, a Victorian combat demonstration (with canes and […] Continue Reading |
Beer festival not without challengesGood times are brewing, Victoria. On September 9-10, 57 craft breweries from around the world will be exhibiting their beers at the Great Canadian Beer Festival in Royal Athletic Park. Local brewer Gerry Hieter and brewpub enthusiast John Rowling founded the annual event 19 years ago. Hieter has been the full-time chairperson of the festival […] Continue Reading |
