Friday, February 22, 2013

Time for a winter festival to make us all go outside even when it is raining

It is great that the City of Victoria and the DVBA have done things in Centennial Square at Xmas, but we need something in February that takes us outdoors.   We need our own Winter Festival.  I know we have the Film Festival at the moment but it is indoors and really does not gather the public together.  I think it is important to have something this time of year that is outside and draws crowds

I am not sure what form the festival would take but I do think it should really celebrate the fact that we can be outside in February.  This time of year it is the grey world that is damp that gets to me and stops me from being outside as much as I should be.  

I am involved with Scouting which means I do go camping in February in most years.  In the run up to the camp I am usually thinking "Oh God, it is wet and cold out there.  We should not go camping."  but then I get out there and it is great.   If rain was an impediment to camping on the coast, Scouts would never go camping.

It is good to be outside here in the CRD and reminded that our weather is rarely very wet - though today is really damp like the Vancouver of my memories.   Growing up in the Lower Mainland gave me a hatred of rain.

Here in Victoria we have a much milder and drier February than Vancouver and that alone could be a reason to have a festival.  It could also be a way to get people from Vancovuer and Seattle to come to Victoria for a weekend away from their depressing rain.

So what sort of festival?

  • We could build on the flower count and make a blossom festival
  • We could have an outdoor music festival
  • How about the Victoria Drive In B Film Festival?  Set up drive-ins in parking lot around the region.
  • Take something like the UrbaCity Challenge and make a weekend long event and get people to enter teams from around the region
  • Have some sort of weekend sculpture competition - give all the entrants the same materials and see what they can make with them over a weekend

I need to run this thought past John Vickers of the Busker's Festival and the Chalk Art Festival and see what comes to his mind.  

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