For 30 years, the Gabriola Arts Council has been inviting visitors, locals, art lovers, and the art-curious to do something you don't normally get to do: step right inside the places where Gabriola's artists create.

The Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour returns this October, opening studio doors across the island for one big weekend of art, exploring, meeting the makers, and inevitably finding something you absolutely did not plan on buying.

And with Gabriola just a quick ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo, getting there is pretty easy.

Leaving empty-handed? We make no promises.

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So Who is Gabriola? 

Ah, Gabriola Island. Or, as it's lovingly and pretty rightfully known, the Isle of the Arts.

It's a quick 20-minute ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo, but in all honesty, it feels like you've been teleported miles and miles, sorry, kilometres and kilometres away.

Gabriola is the kind of place where you can spend the morning walking along the sandstone shores, pull over at a farm stand selling freshly harvested garlic, orchard-grown fruit, free-range eggs or whatever else happens to be in season, and then somehow accidentally waltz into an artist's studio before lunch.

Seriously. Art is everywhere here.

More than 60 artists call the island home, giving Gabriola one of the highest concentrations of artists per capita in Canada. Painters, potters, jewellers, sculptors, photographers, woodworkers, textile artists, you name it. If someone can make something beautiful out of it, chances are that someone is on Gabriola Island.

So yes, when an island with that many artists decides to throw open its studio doors for an entire weekend, we feel pretty strongly that you should go.

 

The Main Event

From October 10–12, 2026, Gabriola's artists are throwing open their doors and inviting you in.

From 10 AM–5 PM each day, you'll get to step inside their studios, see works in progress, strike up conversations with the people behind the art, and get a little glimpse into what life as a Gabriola artist actually looks like.

It's an event that's been built slowly and collectively over more than 30 years, through shared effort, open doors, and the courage to create and, perhaps even more importantly, invite strangers in to see.

And this year? 64 artists are on the tour. So, yeah. You're going to be busy.

Our advice? Don't try to cram Gabriola into a few hours. Spend the weekend wandering from studio to studio, exploring the island in between, joining in on the festivities, eating something good, finding a few unexpected stops along the way, and seeing for yourself why Gabriola has earned its title as the Isle of the Arts.

Besides, with 64 studios to explore, "we'll just pop over for the afternoon" feels a little ambitious.

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Where to Stay? 

First things first: Gabriola is a fully functioning little island. Restaurants? Yep. Grocery store? Yep. Gas station? Yep. Places to sleep? Plenty.

It also happens to have beaches, forests, farm stands, and an unusually high number of artists as neighbours.

So, if you're taking our advice and turning the Studio Tour into a full weekend getaway, you have options.

Whether your idea of an island stay involves waking up in a cozy B&B, settling into a lodge by the water, or crawling out of a tent into the crisp October air, there's somewhere to make yourself at home.

For the campers, check out:

More of a B&B person? Gabriola has plenty of those, too. Browse the island's bed and breakfast options and find one that suits your weekend plans.

Prefer a motel or lodge? Try:

Or make yourself at home in a guesthouse, including:

The important part? Book early. Thanksgiving weekend is kind of a big deal around here, and with 64 artists opening their doors, you won't be the only one thinking an overnight stay sounds like a good idea.

Plus, staying the night means you don't have to choose between one more studio and catching the ferry home. We know which one we'd pick.

 

What to Eat?

All that studio hopping is going to make you hungry.

Luckily, Gabriola has a small but mighty food scene, with everything from comfort food and classic pub fare to seasonal dishes made with ingredients grown, raised, and harvested close to home.

And because this is Gabriola, restaurants are only part of the equation. You'll find cozy cafés for your morning coffee and something sweet, farm-fresh dining, local markets, and roadside stands scattered around the island stocked with whatever happens to be coming out of the ground, orchard, or henhouse that week.

Eating out for every meal? Absolutely. Picking up some local bread, eggs, veggies, fruit, or other island-grown goodies and making breakfast back at your cabin? Also very Gabriola.

Our recommendation? Do a little of both.

Grab a coffee before hitting the studios, stop somewhere local for lunch, and keep an eye out for those roadside stands while you're driving around. If there's a hand-painted sign on the side of the road telling you to turn for fresh bread, eggs, or produce? You turn.

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Can’t make it? No worries

Sure, the Thanksgiving Studio Tour might be the star of the season, but Gabriola's artists don't exactly clock out when the weekend wraps. This is the Isle of the Arts, after all.

The artists, makers, galleries, studios, and wonderfully quirky creative spaces that make Gabriola what it is are here year-round. So while Thanksgiving weekend gives you a pretty great excuse to hop on the ferry, you certainly don't need to wait for a special event to come back.

Visit in the winter. Come back in the spring. Make another trip next summer. Wander into a studio, discover an artist you've never heard of, buy something made on the island, and show a little love to the people keeping Gabriola's creative reputation very much alive.

Because 64 artists in one weekend is impressive.

An entire island of art, all year long? Even better.

To discover studios and artists you can visit outside of Thanksgiving weekend, check out the Gabriola Arts Council's year-round studio guide. And for Studio Tour information, event details, maps, and visitor resources, head to the Gabriola Arts Council website.

Now all that's left to do is hop on the ferry. And maybe clear a little space on the wall before you go.