Holiday
Happenings All aboard The Christmas Express at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, running Dec 6-8, Dec 13-15, and Dec 20-23 from 4-9pm (train leaves every 20 minutes from 4:30-8:30). Ride behind Samson, the museum’s 1910 steam train, through festive light displays and exhibits in the forest and on the trestle. Visit Santa Claus, dance to live Christmas music, make a Christmas tree craft in the schoolhouse, watch the model train, and warm up with hot chocolate in Train Station Treats. Santa will ride the first train, leaving at 4:30pm and then will be in the main museum for pictures and visits. 2892 Drinkwater Road. Visit discoveryforest.com or phone 250-715-1113. 13th Annual Bear Wear in the lobby of the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria from Nov 26-Jan 4, 2014. Visit the best dressed bears in town at this annual fundraiser, helping children and youth in need and their families on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. All funds raised support the programs of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island. In 2012, Bear Wear raised $25,297 for Island kids. Admission is free, but for a suggested $2 donation, you can enter a draw to win your favourite bear. Vote as many times as you like—the more times you vote, the better your chances! 463 Belleville Street. For more information, phone 250-519-6935. Butchart Gardens presents the 27th annual Magic of Christmas from Dec 1-Jan 6, 2014. The Gardens sparkle with tens of thousands of coloured lights and seasonal decorations. Miles of fresh evergreen swags and wreaths, holly, ivy and winter ber
Ways to Make Merry This Holiday Season...
Westshore Wonderland Craft Fair November 22-24, 2013
Eagle Ridge Community Centre, Langford, B.C. Friday noon - 8pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm
Admission $4.00/day or $5 for weekend pass Fundraiser for BCSPCA, Local crafters and artisans, Handcrafted items, Door Prizes, Grand Prize
www.earthlygoods.ca
ries adorn the walkways and lamp posts. See the Twelve Days of Christmas displays tucked into the landscape. Get into the Christmas mood with traditional carollers and festive brass music from 5-9pm. Take a whirl around the outdoor ice skating rink. Skate times run on the hour during admission hours and last for 40 minutes. Skate rentals available; children’s helmets on loan. Garden hours from Dec 1-Jan 5, 9am-9pm, except Christmas Day when the hours are 1-9pm. Kids are invited to create and bring a paper snowflake from home to the visitor info centre to exchange for a free hot chocolate. Visit butchartgardens.com or phone 250-652-4422. Christmas in Old Town at Royal BC Museum from Nov 14-Jan 7, 2014. Take in the sights and sounds of Christmas long ago. Marvel at the huge Christmas tree, visit the wood-cobbled streets laced with festive garlands, see the shops decorated with Christmas finery, and have your picture taken with Father Christmas (on hand Dec 6-22, Fridays-Sundays only, from 11am-4:30pm). Photos by donation. Visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Christmas in the Village at the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society on Dec 6, 7, 8 and Dec 13, 14, 15 is put on by the Vancouver Island Model Engineers. Ride the train, visit Santa, vote for your favourite display, and enjoy entertainment, storytime and refreshments. From 4:30-8pm. 7321 Lochside Drive. Visit shas.ca or phone 250-652-5522. Christmas Starlight Cinema. Bundle up and bring your family down to the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe to enjoy one of Victoria’s great Christmas traditions—Christmas movies under the stars on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6pm in December. The line-up: Dec 3 - A Christmas Story; Dec 4 - White Christmas; Dec 10 - Jim Carrey, The Grinch; Dec 11 Home Alone; Dec 17 - Polar Express; Dec 18 - It’s a Wonderful Life. Movies are free, but donations to Santas Anonymous are appreciated. Bring a lawn chair and extra blankets, the hotel will supply heaters. 45 Songhees Road. For the schedule, phone 250-360-2999. Craigdarroch Castle is decorated for the Christmas season through the month of December. The rooms are presented in traditional Victorian fashion with original period toys peeking out from under the
Christmas trees. The decorations are on display throughout the month and there will be a selection of music and children’s performances. Performance times vary and are part of the self-guided tour. The Christmas performance calendar comes out in early December. Visit craigdarrochcastle. com or call 250-592-5323. Every year the Victoria Festival of Trees transforms the Fairmont Empress into a lush forest of beautifully decorated trees to raise funds for BC Children’s Hospital. As sponsors of this event, local businesses, organizations and individuals decorate the trees—in a sometimes wacky, often irreverent and always beautiful fashion. This season, up to 75 trees are on display throughout the Empress from Nov 21Jan 7, 2014. Come browse through a holiday wonderland and cast a ballot for your favourite tree. Admission is free, though a $2 donation is suggested for every vote. Port Alberni and Sooke are hosting their fifth annual Festival of Trees, in Port Alberni at the Best Western Barclay Hotel from Nov 27-Jan 3, 2014, and in Sooke at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort and SEAPARC Leisure Complex from Nov 28-Jan 7, 2014. Visit bcchf.ca. 5th Annual Gingerbread Showcase at the Inn at Laurel Point. Feast your eyes and nose on creative inspirations constructed out of gingerbread. More than houses, they are sculptures and unique works of art created by professional and amateur chefs. Vote for your favourite—if you can choose just one! All funds raised support Habitat for Humanity Victoria, helping make affordable homeownership possible for low-income families living in the Victoria region. Nov 23-Jan 4, 2014 from 9am-9pm. Visit laurelpoint.com/christmas/. Helmcken House Old-Fashioned Christmas at Royal BC Museum from Dec 21-Jan 5, 2014 noon-4pm. Helmcken House comes alive with the spirit of an early Christmas in Victoria. Visitors will discover the Christmas traditions of early Victorians through activities and crafts. Admission is by donation. For information, visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Free Horse-Drawn Trolley Rides. Enjoy a classic downtown tradition with your family this holiday season. Starting Nov 24 and running Saturdays (1-4pm) and Sundays (1-3pm) until Dec 22, horse-drawn trolleys
will circulate throughout downtown, making it easy to take in all of the sights and sounds of the Christmas celebrations. The trolleys are free of charge, compliments of the Downtown Victoria Business Association. Two free trolleys will circulate on a pre-set route throughout the downtown with four stops at: Store St. and Chatham St. (in front of Ocean River Sports); Johnson St. near Wharf St. (in front of Willie’s Bakery); Langley St. at Bastion Square (across from Re-Bar); and Government St. at Fisgard St. (in front of CDR Plaza). For more information on entertainment in the downtown area, visit downtownvictoria.ca. Live Nativity Scene. The First Christmas, an outdoor Nativity pageant, features Wise Men from the east, the Angel Gabriel, shepherds with flocks, an innkeeper, King Harrod with his soldiers, townspeople, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. This outdoor depiction of the Christmas story runs four times nightly on Dec 21, 22 and 23 at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8pm at Topaz Park, between Quadra and Blanshard. Parking is available at S.J. Willis school and the park’s lot off Quadra. Free. christmasnativity.ca. Milner Christmas Magic at Milner Gardens and Woodland in Qualicum Beach. Stroll through tens of thousands of lights, enjoy local musicians and storytellers, stop by Santa’s shop for a visit, pop into the Teddy Bear Cottage and try to count all of the old bears, and enjoy tea or hot chocolate in the tea room. Dec 6-8, Dec 13-15, and Dec 18-22 from 5-8:30pm (recommended entry by 8pm). Adults $5, children $2.50, families $12. For more information and the entertainment schedule, visit milnergardens.org or call 250-752-6153.
Enjoy a Performance Dance Victoria presents Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker with the Victoria Symphony at the Royal Theatre on Dec 6 at 7:30pm, Dec 7 at 2pm and 7:30pm, and Dec 8 at 2pm. rmts.bc.ca. The Naden Band Christmas Concert supports the annual Salvation Army Toy Drive. At the Royal Theatre on Dec 16, 17 & 18 at 7:30pm. Tickets (on sale Nov 12) are $10, plus an unwrapped toy at the door. Details at rmts.bc.ca.
Victoria Symphony presents A Sentimental Christmas at the Royal Theatre, Dec 13 & 14 at 8pm and Dec 15 at 2pm; Handel’s Messiah at UVic Centre on Dec 20 at 8pm and Dec 22 at 2:30pm. victoriasymphony.ca. Check out the performances at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave in Sidney. This year’s seasonal fare includes The Peninsula Singers’ concert Christmas Time is Here, Dec 6 & 7 at 7:30pm, Dec 8 at 2pm; Peninsula Players’ King Arthur & the Knights of the Round-ish Table, a Christmas pantomime for all ages on Dec 20, 21, 27 at 7:30pm, and on Dec 22, 28, 29 at 2pm. Visit marywinspear.ca. King Arthur & the Knights of the Round-ish Table also plays at other venues on other dates. Visit peninsulaplayers.bc.ca. Faith, hope and family come together in Chemainus Theatre’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life, a heartwarming production about George Bailey who, on Christmas Eve, finds himself alone and desperate and wondering if things wouldn’t be better if he hadn’t been born at all. Nov 22-Dec 23. Visit chemainustheatrefestival.ca or call 1-800-565-7738. The Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular is an extravaganza of music, dance, lights and decorations. This year’s show includes a Queen tribute, a James Bond medley and a Sound of Music medley, Michael Bublé songs, a nostalgia tribute and other classical hits and Christmas favourites. 7pm shows on Dec 6-8, and 13-15, and 3pm shows on Dec 7, 8, 14, and 15 at the Cedar Community Hall, 2388 Cedar Rd. 7pm shows on Dec 10, 11 at at Sid Williams Theatre, 442 Cliffe Ave in Courtenay. 7pm shows on Dec 20, 21 with a 3pm show Dec 21 at Port Theatre, 125 Front St., Nanaimo. For tickets, phone 250-754-8550. The Port Theatre features a number of Christmas performances and concerts, including Vancouver Island Symphony’s Christmas Cirque Spectacular on Dec 6 and 7 at 7:30pm and on Dec 7 at 3pm & 7pm; Christmas Eve in Scotland & Ireland by the Brigadoon Dancers on Dec 8 at 2:30pm; and Tempo and Rhythm Dance Academy’s The Grinch on Dec 13 at 7pm. For details visit porttheatre.com, for tickets phone 1-800-710-7081.•
SAANICH
Deck the Hall Winter Lights Festival Saturday December 7, 2013 5:00-8:30pm ~ Free Admission
Kick off your holiday season with a festive lights display, Children’s Christmas Concerts, photos with Santa, horse and carriage rides, arts & crafts, and seasonal entertainment.
A Day With Santa & the Jr. Braves Sunday, December 1 10:00am - 2:30pm Pearkes Rec Centre A day of free family orientated holiday activities.
Breakfast With Santa Saturday, December 14 9:00am - 11:30am Saanich Commonwealth Place Meet and greet with Santa, crafts and a pancake breakfast.
www.saanichrec.ca