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.

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

Calendar of Events

S Sun

M Mon

T Tue

W Wed

T Thu

F Fri

S Sat

3 events,

PaperWorks: Printmakers of the Salish Sea

Event Series

Fill the Caboose Food Drive

-

Island Bel Canto presents CELTIC AYRES in Nanaimo

2 events,

-

Small Biz Women’s Holiday Mixer

2 events,

-

Never Mind The Night Tour

2 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

2 events,

- Event Series

WinterFest

6 events,

SPOTLIGHT – Nutcracker

shnu’a’th, ᐊᑳᒥᕽ akâmihk, the other side

Event Series

Winter Weekend Holiday Market

-

Give & Go Fundraiser

-

Themed Trivia Night: F.R.I.E.N.D.S edition at the Queen’s

6 events,

The Holiday Bazaar

-

Acclaim Celtic Dancers Presents: Christmas in Killarney — Experience the Magic of an Irish Christmas in Nanaimo!

-

It’s Christmas… Company’s Coming!

5 events,

-

Find Space, Breath & Reconnect – 1/2 day silent retreat

2 events,

-

BUDDY’S HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2024

2 events,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

4 events,

shnu’a’th, ᐊᑳᒥᕽ akâmihk, the other side

Event Series
-

Malaspina Choir presents A Child’s Christmas in Wales – Nanaimo

-

NIB Productions & Johnny Inappropriate Present A FASCINATING CHRISTMAS

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

1 event,

- Event Series

Island Roots Farmers’ Market

0 events,

1 event,

shnu’a’th, ᐊᑳᒥᕽ akâmihk, the other side

Event Series

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

1 event,

shnu’a’th, ᐊᑳᒥᕽ akâmihk, the other side

Event Series

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

0 events,

1 event,

shnu’a’th, ᐊᑳᒥᕽ akâmihk, the other side

Event Series

0 events,

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

Ongoing

Fill the Caboose Food Drive

Black Rabbit Nanaimo 321 Selby St, Nanaimo

Saturday November 23rd - Friday December 13th Santa's coming to town! Join us for a festive food drive. Bring canned goods to donate and meet Santa on the Christmas Train behind the Station! On Friday, December 13th SVI Rail Link will drive their festive decorated rail car throughout downtown and will pick up all the donations between 12-1.

Event Series WinterFest

WinterFest

Diana Krall Plaza 51 Gordon St., Nanaimo

Join us for Late Night Shopping in downtown Nanaimo this December! On December 5th (opening night) we will be lighting up a massive Christmas Tree in Diana Krall Plaza at 5pm!! Experience the magic of the season as stores stay open until 8pm, offering the perfect opportunity to find unique holiday gifts and support local businesses.Indulge in treats from food trucks, and taste festive cocktails and cider from Travel Bar at Diana Krall Plaza! Capture the joy of the holidays with visits with Mr. & Mr. Claus and listen to live music at the plaza with the sounds of the season. It’s an evening of shopping, sipping, and spreading holiday cheer!

Do you have an event you would like us to know about?

Please note your event submission will not appear in the calendar immediately as it needs to be approved by Admin first. Please allow up to 2 working days for an event to be approved.

Don’t miss anything. Stay updated.

Name(Required)
Which of these best describes you?
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

Ongoing
Event Series PaperWorks: Printmakers of the Salish Sea

PaperWorks: Printmakers of the Salish Sea

Ladysmith Gallery 7-32 High Street, Ladysmith

PaperWorks features an extensive array of works of seven printmakers who create using a range ofprintmaking methods in non-toxic print studios in communities of the Salish Sea. Hand-pulled orhand-burnished, each piece is an expression of the passion our members have for printmaking andthe environment.Printmakers Anne Jones, Dorothy Friesen, Kirsty Henderson, Leona Petrak, Leslie Mobbs, LouiseSlobodan and Nora Layard are offering an inspiring showcase of over 100 recent works influenced byour coastal environment, personal history, and a never ending curiosity. Their original artworkscover a wide array of styles; deeply personal expressions, emotive representational works, andwildly energetic abstracted pieces; Reduction and multi-plate Linocut prints, Drypoint engravings,Collagraphs, Monotypes and Monoprints. These printmakers work using traditional techniquesthough with freedom to bend ‘the rules’ but always use the least toxic techniques and material available. Prints range in size and price points, framed or unframed: also available are original one-of-a-kind cards and high quality art cards. Printmakers will be in the Gallery each day from 10am to 4pm and are happy to chat about the work, printmakingmethods and inspiration, answering questions. On some days, printmaking demos and other creativeactivity will also be part of the PaperWorks exhibition and sale.PaperWorks is the first group exhibition and art sale created solely by printmakers to be held at theLadysmith Gallery. Printmakers of the Salish Sea, a collective with a focus on less-toxic printmaking,was formed in 2021. There will be extended hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Thursday, November 28th. There will also be a meet and greet with the artists on the afternoon of November 22nd.

Free

Fill the Caboose Food Drive

Black Rabbit Nanaimo 321 Selby St, Nanaimo

Saturday November 23rd - Friday December 13th Santa's coming to town! Join us for a festive food drive. Bring canned goods to donate and meet Santa on the Christmas Train behind the Station! On Friday, December 13th SVI Rail Link will drive their festive decorated rail car throughout downtown and will pick up all the donations between 12-1.

Event Series Nanaimo Artwalk 2024

Nanaimo Artwalk 2024

Everyone is welcome to attend Artwalk, the festival’s 26th-anniversary event, taking place on November 23 and 24 and featuring more than 50 artists. Nanaimo Artwalk is a unique opportunity to experience all forms of visual art from local artists located in venues in the Downtown area (primarily along Chapel and Commercial Street to Victoria Crescent) and the Old City Quarter, bordered by Fitzwilliam Street to the north, Wesley Street to the west, and Albert Street to the south, this event offers a prestigious platform for to see local art. You can get an Event Guide and Map from the Nanaimo Museum, Nanaimo Art Gallery and several shops and galleries around town. You can also view the guide on this website. Our Information/Welcome Desks are located at the Nanaimo Museum and St. Andrews United Church where you will also find public washrooms. We invite you to enter a draw for prizes worth $500 and see an amazing collection of local art available for every budget. Park your car and take a free Hop-On Hop-Off shuttle that travels between Downtown and the Old City Quarter every 20 minutes. Click the tab, Shuttle Bus (2024) to see the route. ​ Nanaimo Arts Council acknowledges with gratitude and respect that we are on the unceded traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as, and Szt’uminus First Nations. Haych qa Siem.

Free

Love’s in Need of Love

Port Theatre 125 Front Street, Nanaimo

A new era is dawning for Island Soul Choir! We are thrilled to introduce to you, our new Music Director—Tom Arntzen—and invite you to explore with us, Tom’s interpretation of soul music. For this concert, he has included Stevie Wonder’s Love’s in Need of Love Today, The Beatles’ Because,the Blues Brothers’ cover of Solomon Burke’s Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, and Jon Boutté’s Tremé Song. He has also included one of his own original songs, as well as his arrangements of a medley of three 60s pop songs, and a traditional Zimbabwean proverb. The choir will also reprise two of Brian Tate’s songs: One Million Voices, a song dedicated to all those who have the courage to speak out against the abuse of power, and Om Mani Padme Hum, a transcendental arrangement of an Sanskrit mantra to create calm and healing. We are so excited by Tom's talent that he has agreed to be our opening act for this concert so that you, our audience, can get to know him and experience his talent first hand.

$8.50 – $31.50