Festival

A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Horses burst through the soaring flames of night-time bonfires in a dramatic annual festival in this small Spanish town. The bonfires are called “luminarias,” and the Las Luminarias festival is believed to be centuries-old. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

VIDEO: Locals ride horses through fires as Spanish festival makes comeback

Las Luminarias celebrates Spain’s patron saint of animals

 

Ukrainians take photos of a newly built Christmas tree as partial power outages continue in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Jewish festival of lights begins in Ukraine as battles rage

Tens of thousands remain without electricity

 

Vancouver police have identified another 15 people they believe took part in criminal activity during a riot at Breakout Festival in September 2022. (Image courtesy of VPD)

7 Breakout Festival riot suspects identified, more sought: Vancouver police

Police department released photos of 15 more suspects Nov. 24

 

Ken Lavigne and Joëlle Rabu will headline the first two days of Nanaimo’s inaugural Big Band Festival at Maffeo Sutton Park, Sept. 2-4. (Anna Bullock and Angie Oh photos)

Nanaimo’s first-ever Big Band Festival on its way to the waterfront

Ken Lavigne and Joëlle Rabu headline event Sept. 2-4 at Maffeo Sutton Park

Ken Lavigne and Joëlle Rabu will headline the first two days of Nanaimo’s inaugural Big Band Festival at Maffeo Sutton Park, Sept. 2-4. (Anna Bullock and Angie Oh photos)
Big crowd enjoying the festivities. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Organizers, craft brewers and food vendors pour their hearts into festival

Sold-out crowd in Chemainus enjoys taste treats and camaraderie

Big crowd enjoying the festivities. (Photo by Don Bodger)
Michelle Williams with tickets to the Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival that are like liquid gold. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Abundant craft beer and food for consumption at Cowichan festival

Chemainus preparing for a large influx of people for popular event

Michelle Williams with tickets to the Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival that are like liquid gold. (Photo by Don Bodger)
Not only did the Ladysmith Days fireworks start off with a bang … they shot off with a huge array of colour. The fireworks, sponsored by the Ladysmith and District Credit Union, were an amazing wrap up to an amazing weekend of Ladysmith Celebration Days. After a couple of years without this show, the crowd of a few thousand people were spellbound by the exhibit of pyrotechnics, which were launched from the Saltair Marine barge which was anchored off of Transfer Beach just for this event. Photo by Duck Paterson

Ladysmith Days sizzled

The weather over the BC Day long weekend wasn’t the only thing…

  • Aug 4, 2022
Not only did the Ladysmith Days fireworks start off with a bang … they shot off with a huge array of colour. The fireworks, sponsored by the Ladysmith and District Credit Union, were an amazing wrap up to an amazing weekend of Ladysmith Celebration Days. After a couple of years without this show, the crowd of a few thousand people were spellbound by the exhibit of pyrotechnics, which were launched from the Saltair Marine barge which was anchored off of Transfer Beach just for this event. Photo by Duck Paterson
The Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival is coming soon. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Craft beer and food festival steers patrons in Chemainus’ direction

Large organizational effort already well along toward planning Aug. 13 event

The Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival is coming soon. (Photo by Don Bodger)
George Johnson shows off a tub racing hat from the early 1970s. The hat is fitted with ear phones and has pockets that contained a radio and batteries, so safety crews and race officials could listed to reports on the race progress. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Rub-a-dub-dub: Nanaimo family keeping up 55-year tradition of tub racing

Johnson family’s old racing tub being refurbished to enter Sunday’s Nanaimo bathtub race

George Johnson shows off a tub racing hat from the early 1970s. The hat is fitted with ear phones and has pockets that contained a radio and batteries, so safety crews and race officials could listed to reports on the race progress. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
An artist works on his sand sculpture on Day 2 of the 2018 Parksville Beach Festival’s sand sculpting competition. (PQB News file photo)

Parksville sandcastles makes grand return this weekend after 2-year absence

Sand sculpting competition theme is the ‘Roaring Twenties’

An artist works on his sand sculpture on Day 2 of the 2018 Parksville Beach Festival’s sand sculpting competition. (PQB News file photo)
Parksville Beach Festival Society has unveiled a list of sculptors who will compete in the first event since 2019. The festival runs from July 14 to July 17 and is open to the public on July 15. (File photo)

World invited back to Parksville beach as sandcastles poised to make a return

Parksville Beach Festival Society unveils sand sculptor list for 2022

Parksville Beach Festival Society has unveiled a list of sculptors who will compete in the first event since 2019. The festival runs from July 14 to July 17 and is open to the public on July 15. (File photo)
Beer cheer is spread with the announcement of another festival in Chemainus this summer. Front row, from left: CBIA directors Nuria Sanchez and Christina Kemp and executive director Krystal Adams. Back row: Riot Brewing’s Ralf Rosenke and Aly Tomlin. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Craft Beer & Food Festival back on the calendar in August

First event since 2017 being planned in Chemainus

Beer cheer is spread with the announcement of another festival in Chemainus this summer. Front row, from left: CBIA directors Nuria Sanchez and Christina Kemp and executive director Krystal Adams. Back row: Riot Brewing’s Ralf Rosenke and Aly Tomlin. (Photo by Don Bodger)
French Canadian culture and cuisine will make for a fun family weekend at L’Association des francophones de Nanaimo’s Maple Sugar Festival March 25-27 at Beban Park. (News Bulletin file)

How sweet it is: Maple Sugar Festival coming to Nanaimo this weekend

French Canadian sugar shack tradition celebration takes place March 25-27 at Beban Park

French Canadian culture and cuisine will make for a fun family weekend at L’Association des francophones de Nanaimo’s Maple Sugar Festival March 25-27 at Beban Park. (News Bulletin file)
(Whale Festival)

Whales back in Tofino-Ucluelet area, Pacific Rim Whale Festival returns with them

Celebration of grey whale migration returns this weekend to the West Coast

(Whale Festival)
Registration is open for the FGPC Comox Dragon Boat Festival. Photo supplied

Comox to host a dragon boat festival in June

FGPC Comox Dragon Boat Festival one of five Vancouver Island Dragon Boat Series stops

Registration is open for the FGPC Comox Dragon Boat Festival. Photo supplied
Johnny Cash, June Carter and others pictured on a page from “Memories From the Mountain,” a new book that documents the history of Merritt Mountain Music Festival in photographs by Surrey’s Dee Lippingwell. (Photos: Dee Lippingwell)

Merritt country music festival’s ‘crazy-ass scene’ recalled in photographer’s new book

Campground C party zone and more remembered in Dee Lippingwell’s third book

Johnny Cash, June Carter and others pictured on a page from “Memories From the Mountain,” a new book that documents the history of Merritt Mountain Music Festival in photographs by Surrey’s Dee Lippingwell. (Photos: Dee Lippingwell)
Chemainus Indigenous Peoples Weekend organizer Connie Crocker. (Photo submitted)

Chemainus Indigenous Peoples Weekend online June 19-21

Event’s been in the planning stages since February without knowing COVID implications

  • Jun 18, 2021
Chemainus Indigenous Peoples Weekend organizer Connie Crocker. (Photo submitted)
The Pacific Rim Whale Festival is breaching for a COVID-safe return in March. (Poster photo by Owen Crosby)

Pacific Rim Whale Festival aims for virtual return in March

Educational celebration scheduled to arrive in Tofino-Ucluelet on March 15.

The Pacific Rim Whale Festival is breaching for a COVID-safe return in March. (Poster photo by Owen Crosby)