The Martlet’s comprehensive guide to fun and funky events happening this summer
Photo by Hailey Chutter featuring from UNDERGROUND.
The number of professional artists working in Victoria is double the national average, making this city a hub for local live music.
Although Victoria has experienced multiple closures of music venues in the past five years, its music scene continues to thrive in increasingly creative ways. An impressive volume of shows are coming up this summer, and there is something for everyone in the mix.
To toe the line between providing affordable suggestions as well as financially supporting local artists, The Martlet has put together a list of great shows coming up this summer, including free, by-donation, and ticketed events.
Festivals
This summer is packed with festivals featuring local artisans, food, and live music. Whole neighbourhoods are putting on free festivals in June including Vic West Fest, the Cook Street Village Block Party, and FernFest.
In July, the Fifth Annual Indigenous Music Festival is happening at Hampton Park to celebrate Indigenous performers from across Vancouver Island.
Festivals such as the Ska & Reggae festival and JazzFest offer both ticketed and free performances in June, and the Blues ‘n’ Roots festival is a similar set up in August.
Staple higher-cost festivals, such as the Phillips Backyard Music Festival, Folk Festival, and Rifflandia Festival are also returning to town.
Concert Series
With warmer weather comes concerts in beautiful outdoor venues. Concert series often feature a good variety of genres, catering to different music tastes each week. Centennial Square will host the free Eventide Concert Series on Wednesday evenings in July and August.
At Beacon Hill Park, the Cameron Bandshell stage will have free concerts from June to September. Additionally, the Government House, at 1401 Rockland Avenue, will put on Music on the Lawn, a free concert series on select Thursday nights in July.
Every Saturday until Oct. 4 the James Bay Market features local music talent. Pop-up barn dances (@westcoastbarndances) and bike raves (@victoriabikerave) are active events for those wanting to enjoy music and get in a real workout.
Venues
This year, Fort Tectoria, on Fort Street, has opened its doors as a low-cost venue for live music. Additionally, following the closing of Hermann’s Upstairs, the Coda has opened above Hermann’s Jazz Club and has two stages.
Other consistent live music venues include Wheelies Motorcycles, Little Fernwood Gallery, the Capital Ballroom, Phoenix Bar and Grill, and Lucky Bar.
Additionally, music lovers can often find events in more niche venues around town; record shops, tattoo parlours, photography studios — and even sports clubs — have been stepping up to the plate and hosting live music; examples include Vinyl Envy, Cafe Fantastico, The Mint, Rebel Garage, Cinderbloc Studios, and Discovery Sports Club, amongst others. Ticket costs at these venues commonly range from $15–30.
Accessibility information for less conventional shows can often be found on @crip.toria, an instagram page that centralizes access information and consults with promoters.
For those feeling overwhelmed by the amount of live music to keep track of this summer, consider checking LampPost — an online platform that assembles all of the events going on in Victoria into one spot. They have a calendar dedicated to live music, as well as a music event search bar, which can be filtered by date, music genre, and cost. If checking a website isn’t your thing, you can sign up for their e-newsletter, which is sent out every Thursday and Sunday with upcoming events.
According to their website, LampPost’s mission is to “make Victoria a more connected community.” In an interview with The Martlet, Simon Laroque, the co-founder of LampPost, said that going out to live shows “goes a very very long way for feeling connected in where you live.” Not only do these events provide great music and support local musicians, but they are also an occasion for people to come together, dance, and connect.
As the Victoria arts community fights to keep their venues and to provide spaces for Victoria’s overflowing local talent, they have left us with a jam-packed summer of live music to enjoy! Most importantly, as Laroque put it, these events give us an opportunity to meet new people, get off our phones, and go out into our community.
