EVENTS CALENDAR

Festivals and events

Embrace the eclectic energy of Nanaimo at our Bathtub Races, a thrilling tribute to our marine heritage, or get lost in the magic of our Lantern Festival, join the city in colour for our Pride Festival, Jazz fest and more. Every season brings something new and exciting, ensuring that no two visits to Nanaimo are ever the same.

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Calendar of Events

S Sun

M Mon

T Tue

W Wed

T Thu

F Fri

S Sat

2 events,

Luminous Paths: Nanaimo’s 150th and Beyond

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And WInter Came – Benefit Concert for the Old City Arts Hub

2 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

3 events,

- Event Series

Nanaimo! The City That Sings – A Choral Kaleidosope

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Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) Hosted by the NMBC

3 events,

- Event Series

Songs for Nobodies

6 events,

Trust Fall

Trust Fall

Nanaimo Flea Market 

- Event Series

Songs for Nobodies

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Joe Farnsworth and Sarah Hanahan

- Event Series

Songs for Nobodies

4 events,

- Event Series

Film Screening – All we imagine as light

- Event Series

Film Screening – All we imagine as light

3 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

3 events,

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R-RATED | Diversity Hires Stand Up Comedy Tour | NANAIMO

3 events,

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Vancouver Island Symphony presents Whoever Said Opera is Boring?

2 events,

3 events,

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The Debaters Live

6 events,

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Bros Meetup

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Bros Meetup

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Ultimate Tournament Series

5 events,

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Singing Valentines

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Valentine’s Day Printmaking

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Ashley Wey Trio @ The Vault

2 events,

1 event,

4 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Ultimate Tournament Series

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Bros Meetup

1 event,

2 events,

Maple Sugar Festival du Sucre d’Érable

4 events,

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Coldest Night of the Year

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Coldest Night of the Year

2 events,

1 event,

2 events,

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Relation-SHI% Comedy

4 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Ultimate Tournament Series

- Event Series

Harbour Hustle – VIU Super Smash Bros Meetup

1 event,

1 event,

3 events,

19th Annual Naked Bungy for Mental Health

Event Series
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Tacos and Tunes


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All Day

Trust Fall

Nanaimo Art Gallery 150 Commercial Street, Nanaimo

From origami objects that are folded based on remote instructions, to artworks developed through psychic intervention, Trust Fall is an exhibition featuring works by Jon Sasaki and Laura Gildner that celebrates the creative potential of mistakes and miscommunication. Nanaimo Art Gallery offers admission by-donation. Their hours are Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays 12 to 5 pm. Visit their website for all details including Friday lunchtime tours of Trust Fall. Image: Jon Sasaki in collaboration with Baco Ohama, Misconstructions, Origami object folded by Jon following verbal instructions sent by Baco, 2022

Ongoing

Luminous Paths: Nanaimo’s 150th and Beyond

Maffeo Sutton Park 100 Comox Rd,, Nanaimo

The City of Nanaimo invites you to join us for Luminous Paths: Nanaimo’s 150 & Beyond, a winter artfestival that is a celebration of light, art, land, and community. Temporary art installations will illuminatepublic space, transforming a once familiar environment into something new, a place-making experiencethat ignites imagination, inspiring hope and excitement for the future of our community. The festival will open with an event on January 22, 2025, in Maffeo Sutton Park, with live performances,and involvement of local community groups to mark the date of the first Council meeting 150 years agofor the newly incorporated City of Nanaimo. Temporary art installations will be on display in identifiedpublic spaces, encouraging visitors to explore park and community spaces. Musicians and performerswill be engaged in performances over the course of the evening at locations corresponding withtemporary art installations. The central event space in a local waterfront park (Maffeo Sutton Park), willinclude interactive booths, food trucks, City of Nanaimo 150 merchandise, children’s activities, andadditional educational and promotional material. The HMCS Nanaimo plans to visit Nanaimo for severaldays at the beginning of the festival. Culture Staff and the Port of Nanaimo are working together toarrange berth for the vessel. The HMCS Nanaimo intends to offer focused outreach for visitors to viewthe vessel throughout the first weekend of the event.  Artists and cultural community partners will further be highlighted through various public engagementopportunities through the course of the festival, such as artist talks, tours, and educational workshopshosted within a variety of cultural spaces. Temporary public art projects will remain available for viewing until the festival closing event onFebruary 17th (Family Day). The final event will focus on engaging families and youth, withperformances by child-friendly acts and take place in one centralized location (Maffeo Sutton Park). Illuminated Art Installations by Artists:

Free

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All Day

The 26th Annual InFrinGinG Dance Festival

Summer! Creativity! Live Arts! From staged presentations to outdoor events, to Virtual Reality (VR) and hybrid performances, the 26th Annual InFrinGinG Dance Festival is your gateway to a summer of adventure in a world of culture, inspiration and beauty! Presented by Crimson Coast Dance!The festival offers two ways to experience the innovative beauty of Anishinaabe choreographer Olivia C. Davies’ Maamawi (ᒫᒪᐏ): Together Through The Fire. Motion-capture technology and stop-motion animation bring the Eagle, Bison, and Wolf to life, as they offer teachings for mankind’s survival. This captivating portrayal of the Anishinaabe Seven Fire Prophecies fuses dance and digital media into something all new and awe-inspiring! See it as a VR experience on Friday and Saturday or witness it live on-stage at the Port Theatre, Saturday night only! Running Tuesday-Sunday July 9-14th, the InFrinGinG Dance Festival opens Tuesday with DanceABLE, an original dance performance at the Port Theatre by local participants of all abilities! Come cheer on this joyous collaboration! Swing by the new store in town, Triple Moon, on Wednesday as local artists’ hybrid installations/performances connect us with our ecology, our time, and ourselves in Quantum Conversation and Embodied Threads. Bring your drum and chair to hang with us at the Night Market on Thursday for One World Rhythms, a community, cross-cultural drum circle, opening with the 3rd Annual Glimpse of India, an enthralling celebration of Indian dance! Catch The Sun and the Moon, which took the stage at last year’s festival, now re-imagined as an experimental dancefilm documentary by award winning artist Evann Siebens, screening Friday night at the Port Theatre! FREE weekend fun at Maffeo Sutton Park! Party to live reggae, dancehall, and more Saturday at Skanker’s Paradise: A celebration of Caribbean Dance and Music! Sunday, ultra-talented Serra Stewart (VIBE) and FUNKANOMETRY will MC the VanIsle Exhibition YOUTH Hip Hop Battle, a seriously fun competition for cash prizes! Plus, parents, prepare to chill as your kids head to KIDZ Zone: Playbriola, part-playground, part-classroom, all collaboration and creativity! Get moving with the Bhangra SPLASHmob! What is a SPLASHmob? Think flash mob – add water!Those of all ages and experience levels can join 2024 Honour In Culture award-recipient, Sukhi Sangha, to learn Bhangra moves for a fun and exhilarating SPLASHmob at Swy a lana Lagoon on Sunday to close the festival! Splashing is not mandatory for participants – yet it sure is fun!

Ongoing

Concerts in the Park

The City of Nanaimo's Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2024 Concerts in the Park series. The free concerts showcase local talent against the backdrop of some of Nanaimo's most beautiful parks. Concert-goers will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of music genres, including motown, indie rock, folk/blues, and celtic. Audience members are reminded to bring a chair or a blanket and to dress for the weather. New this year are a number of double or triple feature shows which will allow families to enjoy a variety of entertainment along with a picnic or dinner in the park! The 2024 schedule is as follows: ·         Sun, May 12, 1-2 p.m. - Laura Kelsey at Colliery Dam Park (as part of Family Fishing Day) ·         Fri, May 17, 6-8:15 p.m. - Mostly Motown and Turnpike at Maffeo Sutton Park (double feature in partnership with Food Truck Fridays) ·         Wed, June 12, 6-7 p.m. - Baby Bleu at Kin Park ·         Fri, June 28, 5-8:30 p.m. - The Shindigs, Danger Box and Maverick Cinema at Maffeo Sutton Park (triple feature in partnership with Food Truck Fridays) ·         Wed, July 10, 6-7 p.m. - Dagger Harbour at McGregor Park ·         Wed, July 17, 6-7 p.m. - String Fever at Pipers Lagoon Park ·         Wed, July 31, 6-7 p.m. - Cosmic Dust at Harewood Centennial Park ·         Wed, Aug 7, 6-7 p.m. - Piu at the Bowen Park Amphitheatre ·         Wed, Aug 14, 6-7 p.m. - Dublin2 at Oliver Woods ·         Wed, Aug 21, 6-7 p.m. - Mike Alviano at Westwood Lake Park ·         Fri, August 23, 6-8:15 p.m. - Sundown: The Gordon Lightfoot Experience and The Shineolas at Maffeo Sutton Park (double feature in partnership with Food Truck Fridays) A schedule with further details on each performance is available on the City of Nanaimo website. Please note that parking is limited at many parks, citizens are encouraged to use alternative transportation when possible.

Free

Cultivate Performing and Arts Festival

Gabriola Island

The Gabriola Arts Council's 6th annual Cultivate Performing and Arts Festival is back this summer, from July 10-14! Come on over to the Isle of the Arts for some fabulous entertainment for the whole family. Our main stage lineup includes a festival opening by the Indigenous Women Rise Drum Group, a variety show by some of Gabriola's many musical gems, and performances by Clanna Morna, Dana Sipos, Omolara, the Harpoonist, the John Capon Quartet, and our festival headliner Jim Byrnes. Our daytime events include a sound bath and meditation with Charlie Gates, a screening of new Canadian film Hailey Rose plus a Q+A with the film's leading actor, Em Haine, and Derek Le Beau, principal researcher of the Queer Cinema Archive, and an encore performance of ART, directed by Yazmina Reza and performed by the Gabriola Players. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, enjoy children-focused performances and interactive events by Rainbow the Harp Faery and Pico's Puppet Palace. Visit www.cultivate.artsgabriola.ca to learn more about all of our events and performers, and to buy your tickets!