events

Victoria Tall Ships 2008 Events

Ship Tours

Ship boarding times are Friday - Sunday from 10am to 5pm, you should allow sufficient time to see all of the ships on your list. Please be aware delays in boarding some of the ships may occur from time to time due to a heavier than expected demand. Tall Ships Victoria will do everything possible to minimize these delays and suggests that you may wish to plan to board the more popular ships after 1pm each day when visitor volumes are traditionally a little lower. Tall Ships Victoria will monitor any line-ups and inform the public via our website and on-site communications of estimated wait times.

The Festival Site

Ship Point and the property adjacent to the Wharf Street docks will be the hub of the four-day Tall Ships Festival.

All tickets will allow access to the festival site, with its live music, food, and displays and demonstrations of traditional maritime skills such as wooden boatbuilding, but event passes will be required to access the ships. The festival will fill both the Enterprise and Ship Point sites. For a map of the Enterprise site CLICK HERE, for the Ship Point site CLICK HERE.

Live Music

The Festival Entertainment Stage will host live concerts each day and will feature maritime and contemporary acts. The roster of entertainers is growing and we are finalizing the schedule. For a current list of performers, please CLICK HERE.

Young People’s Programs

In the kids’ zone, special programming will take place until 6pm every day. The Maritime Museum of BC’s Pirate School, sponsored by Coast Capital Savings, will teach children aged 4-10 nautical tattoos, scrimshaw carving, pirate swordplay and the art of treasure map-making. There will be regular live pirate performances throughout each day, teaching kids all about the life of a pirate. The Thrifty Foods Tall Ships U, in conjunction with the Canadian Navy, will teach young people from 10 – 14 skills such as signaling, knot tying, and line tossing. Participants will receive a passport to complete along with a diploma and commemorative photograph.

Maritime Marketplace

Throughout the festival the Maritime Marketplace will run at the Ship Point site. Juried artisans will have their wares and crafts for sale. Dozens of vendors will have gifts, clothing, fine art, and music and be showcasing their traditional skills.

Maritime Mosaic

This new festival component is a multi-cultural showcase that is being organized by the Maritime Museum. It will feature more than 20 ethnic groups and celebrating the contributions they have made to the development of the province. Groups will host cultural exhibits, as well as interactive displays and performances on the festival site.

History Bites

Festival goers will also be able to enjoy a taste of B.C.’s past at History Bites food pavilions. Local chefs will offer up historically-inspired ‘Bites’ from the 1830s until today, including early Jewish and Chinese food eaten in the city, Gold Rush fare and Afternoon Tea.