The great community spirit in our little towns means that we have a lot to celebrate – with each other and with visitors.
Aside from the annual events listed below, there are always community events such as arts and craft displays, music and dance shows, or film festivals, so it pays to check in with the local tourism websites before you travel.
Spring
Whalefest (Tofino, Ucluelet). Late March: A week of interpretive and cultural events, as well as the start of the whale-watching season, celebrating the return of migrating grey whales.
Shorebird Festival (Tofino). Latest April or earliest May: a weekend of shorebird viewing, as thousands of sandpipers pass through the area on their way north, with free bird-watching tours and talks by local and visiting naturalists.
Forest Day (Ucluelet). Early May: a weekend with presentations by forestry experts, logging sports, and a salmon BBQ.
George Fraser Day and Heritage Fair (Ucluelet). May: a weekend oriented about Ucluelet’s history and its wonderful rhododendron gardens, with tours and music.
Clayoquot Days Garden Festival (Tofino). Mid-May: A weekend where visitors are invited to the original island settlement of Clayoquot, founded as a fur-trading post even before Tofino and now privately owned, to recall times past and visit the extensive gardens, with free boat transport provided.
Summer
Tofino Food and Wine Festival (Tofino). June: a weekend with all sorts of events for culinary and wine enthusiasts, focussing on local Vancouver Island products.
Edge to Edge Marathon (Tofino/Ucluelet). June: a marathon run from Tofino to Ucluelet, with half-marathon, and marathon-relay events as well.
Aboriginal Day events (Pacific Rim National Park Reserve). Late June: displays and performances about traditional native culture, held at various venues in the park on national Aboriginal Day.
ChooKwa Challenge Native Canoe Races (Port Alberni). June or July: Paddlers race both traditional dugouts and fibreglass replicas on the Somass River.
Folk Fest (Port Alberni): July 1 long weekend: live music and dance performances.
Pacific Rim Summer Festival (Tofino, Ucluelet). July: two weeks of live music.
Forest Fest (Port Alberni). July 1 -15: a weekend with a Loggers’ Stomp Dance and arts events all with a forest theme.
Ukee Days Fair (Ucluelet). July: a weekend country fair, with loggers’ sports, children’s games, live music, and an oyster and salmon BBQ.
Thunder in the Valley (Port Alberni). August: drag-racing at the airport.
Lantern Festival (Tofino). Late August or early September: an evening with hundreds of hand-made lanterns on display in the Tofino Botanical Gardens, not to be missed.
Fall
Salmon Festival and Fishing Derby (Port Alberni). September, Labour Day weekend: fishing derby and salmon BBQ.
Fall Fair (Port Alberni). September: a weekend with an agricultural show, midway rides and loggers’ sports.
Art in the Gardens (Tofino). September: a weekend of performances and displays by musicians, artists, dancers and writers from Tofino and Ucluelet.
Robertson Creek Salmon Hatchery Open House (Port Alberni). October: a weekend open-house where you can watch salmon returning to spawn.
Oyster Fest (Tofino). November: one of the most looked-forward-to weekends of the year, with a Mermaid’s Ball and all sorts of events showcasing the many ways one can enjoy an oyster.
This article was written by Jacqueline Windh.
