Vancouver Island Festival & Events Calendar 2026: Best Annual Events

Plan my festival weekend in Victoria · What's on this weekend

What's on at: The Butchart Gardens · Royal Theatre · Royal BC Museum · McPherson Playhouse · Craigdarroch Castle

Find a place to stay in Victoria · Find a place to stay in Tofino

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Vancouver Island runs festivals all year: jazz and dragon boats on Victoria's Inner Harbour in summer, salmon and oysters in the fall, harbour lights in December. Here's the annual calendar, season by season, with this fall's 2026 dates. For everything on in the next few days, see this weekend.

Victoria Day Parade (May) — Victoria Downtown Victoria's parade has opened the summer season for more than a century. Floats, marching bands and equestrian teams wind through the Inner Harbour district on Victoria Day, the Monday before May 25. Arrive by 9 AM for a front-row spot along the route.

Victoria Indigenous Cultural Festival (June) — Victoria Presented by Indigenous Tourism BC with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations around National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21), this three-day festival brings Indigenous music, dance, carving and storytelling to the Royal BC Museum and the Inner Harbour. Free and family-friendly. (Formerly the Aboriginal Cultural Festival.)

Victoria JazzFest (Late June/Early July) — Victoria The TD Victoria International JazzFest is the island's biggest music event: ten days of jazz, blues and roots on stages across downtown, with more than 300 artists from Canada and beyond.

BC Seafood Festival (July) — Comox Valley BC's largest celebration of coastal food takes over Comox Marina Park, with chef competitions, long-table dinners, craft beer pairings and the Dock Dance.

Nanaimo Marine Festival / Bathtub Race (July) — Nanaimo Nanaimo's signature summer weekend, built around the bathtub race across the Strait of Georgia. Things to do in Nanaimo covers the rest of the stay.

Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival (usually August) — Victoria One of Canada's largest dragon boat festivals, with teams racing across the Inner Harbour, free to watch from shore. For 2026 only, the festival ran June 19–21 because of a scheduling conflict; it returns to its usual August dates in 2027.

Tofino Food & Wine Festival (June) — Tofino The west coast's food festival: seafood tastings, winemaker dinners and wine pairings in Tofino.

Cowichan Valley wine and cider (summer into fall) — Cowichan Valley Tasting rooms across the valley pour through harvest. Our cider trail maps the stops.

Courtenay Jazz Festival (August) — Comox Valley Four days of jazz across venues in downtown Courtenay and Comox.

Chemainus murals (year-round) — Chemainus The small town near Duncan is an outdoor gallery: more than 70 murals and sculptures tell its story. Plan a day there.

Great Canadian Beer Festival (early September) — Victoria BC's best-known craft beer event, pouring 200+ beers and ciders. The 2026 edition, the festival's 30th, ran September 6–7 at Topaz Park.

BreakOut West (October 1–3, 2026) — Victoria The Western Canadian Music Awards festival played downtown Victoria for 2026.

Oktoberfest on the island (early October) Two ran on the same weekend in 2026: SkyWalk Brewfest, a craft beer and cider festival at the Malahat SkyWalk on October 3, and Tofino Oktoberfest at The BEAR Biergarten on October 3–4.

Pumpkin patches (October) — Greater Victoria Pumpkinfest at Galey Farm runs to November 1, 2026, and the Ocean View Estate Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze in Central Saanich runs to October 31.

Victoria Festival of Authors (October 12–18, 2026) — Victoria Seven days of author events filled the week in 2026. Details.

Harvest Fest (October 17, 2026) — Victoria It was held at The Gardens at HCP. Details.

Mid-Island Mushroom & Nature Festival (October 25, 2026) — Qualicum Beach Vendors bring fresh and dried mushrooms, grow kits, guides and books to the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Details.

Salmon runs (October–November) — across the island Every fall, salmon return to spawn in rivers from Victoria to the North Island. Where and when to watch.

Halloween on the island (October) Ghostly Walks runs Halloween tours from Market Square from October 1 to November 1, and the Royal BC Museum holds Halloween at the Royal BC Museum on October 30, 2026. In Nanoose Bay, the Halloween Walk at Bumble Bees Farm is on October 23 and 24, and Halloween Market YYJ takes over the Da Vinci Centre in Victoria on October 24–25. The Blood Moon Ball, a Halloween masquerade, is at Esquimalt Gorge Park & Pavilion on October 30. In Duncan, the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival plays the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on October 24.

Fungi Fest (November 1, 2026) — Victoria At the Royal BC Museum. Details.

Victoria International Wine Festival (from November 5, 2026) — Victoria At the Victoria Conference Centre. Tickets and details.

Vancouver Island One Act Play Festival (from November 5, 2026) — Qualicum Beach Short plays on the stage of the Village Theatre. Tickets and details.

Diwali (November 7, 2026) — Victoria and Courtenay The Diwali Show is at the University of Victoria, and Courtenay's Diwali – Festival of Lights fills Native Sons Hall the same evening.

Remembrance Day (November 8 and 11, 2026) — Sidney and Victoria A Concert of Remembrance is at the Mary Winspear Centre on November 8, and the Music of Remembrance carillon recital at the Royal BC Museum follows on November 11.

Tofino Adventure Film Festival (November 12–14 and 20, 2026) — Tofino Four nights of adventure films at Tin Wis Resort. Tickets and details.

Pac Rim Comedy Festival (November) — Tofino Stand-up on the west coast. The Best of BC show is on November 13, 2026 at The MAQ Hotel.

Tofino Oyster Fest (November 27–29, 2026) — Tofino Tofino's oyster weekend closes out the fall, with the Oyster Festival Gala on Saturday, November 28. Tickets and the full weekend.

The Nutcracker (November 27–29, 2026) — Victoria Dance Victoria presents Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Nutcracker at the Royal Theatre.

Peninsula Co-op Santa Claus Parade (November 28, 2026) — Victoria The 44th parade opens the holiday season downtown.

Festival of Trees (mid-November to early January) — Victoria The Bay Centre fills its upper levels with decorated Christmas trees, raising money for BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Free to walk through.

Parksville Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting (November 20, 2026) — Parksville Santa switches on the downtown tree at Memorial Plaza, with popcorn and hot chocolate. Details.

Harbour Holiday Lights (December 3, 2026) — Victoria The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority lights up the Inner Harbour for a free evening on the Lower Causeway and Ship Point. Details.

Magic of Christmas at The Butchart Gardens (December) — Brentwood Bay The 55-acre gardens light up for The Magic of Christmas from December 1 to January 6. Tours from downtown Victoria run all December.

Sea of Lights (December 5, 2026) — Tofino Part of Tofino Winter Nights, which runs from November 20 to December 31, at Tofino Resort + Marina. Details.

Christmas markets (mid-November to December) The season starts early: the First Chance Christmas Craft Fair is at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney on November 7–8, the Bastion Square Winter Market runs in downtown Victoria on November 12–15, the Atomic Christmas Vintage Fair and Makers Market is at the Da Vinci Centre in Victoria on November 13–14, and the Heart of the Valley Christmas Market is at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay on November 14. The Victorian Christmas Craft Fair fills Saanich Commonwealth Place on November 21–22, and the Tofino Winter Market is on November 21. The Coombs Christmas Market opens December 5, 2026 at the Coombs Fairgrounds, and more markets fill the island's weekends through the month. Every market, by town and date, is in our Christmas markets guide. See what's on.

Book accommodation early for Victoria JazzFest, the Nanaimo Marine Festival and Tofino's oyster weekend. Find a place to stay in Victoria or in Tofino.

Make a trip of it. Build the days around a festival with three days in Victoria or three days in Tofino. Or stay closer: a weekend in Duncan and the Cowichan Valley or a weekend on Salt Spring Island. Further up the island: a weekend in Port Alberni or a weekend in the Comox Valley. With a week, drive the whole island in seven days.

BC Ferries runs Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay (Victoria access) and Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay (Nanaimo access). Reserve in summer.

Explore beyond Victoria. Chemainus, Port Alberni and Qualicum Beach have their own festivals and markets. Browse every festival or every upcoming event.