OUR DWTN - Fall and Winter
Check out what's planned for this fall and winter downtown.
A number of public artworks that were part of the City's recent Winter Arts Festival are available for viewing around downtown until the end of March. This helpful information sheet [PDF/139KB] will help you find them!
Winter Arts Festival
The community was invited to bring friends and family downtown, February 16-19 from 5-9 p.m., to enjoy Victoria’s Winter Arts Festival, a celebration of light, art and storytelling, sculptures, projection mapping, augmented reality (AR) and live performances.
Free to attend, the four-day, family-friendly festival provided warm spaces to gather, creating a rhythm of indoor and outdoor public art experiences.
The multi-day event kicked off on Friday, February 16 at 5 p.m. at the Winter Arts Hub (506 Herald Street) with a First Nations welcome and live performances on the Showstream Stage.
Winter Arts Hub
The Winter Arts Hub served as a warm gathering spot where the community could come together to celebrate art and performance while enjoying local food vendors, a licensed bar, artisan booths, scheduled live entertainment on an outdoor stage and a kids zone. The indoor/outdoor space was located at Herald Street Brew Works (506 Herald Street), adjacent to the Circulatory Boutique’s parking lot.
Art Walk
The Festival’s Art Walk featured new and existing public art installations, vibrant displays, pop-up performances and local businesses open late. You could explore the Art Walk at your own pace with three online maps or register for a guided tour led by John Adams to discover over 20 art installations based on the theme of "Light and Language".
Art Walk Passport
You could enhance your Winter Arts Festival experience with the Art Walk Passport. For pick-up and drop-off at the Winter Arts Hub, stamps could be collected at five participating Art Walk storefronts for a chance to win FREE Evo Car Share driving minutes.
Warm-Up Locations
Winter Arts Festival partnered with local businesses, cafes, pubs and restaurants to provide a place on the route to warm up, connect with other attendees and enjoy some local flavour. All warm-up locations were featured on three digital maps.
Family-Friendly Activities
From hands-on art crafting to immersive story-times and interactive art installations, the Festival provided fun for the whole family. You could grow virtual mushrooms, play oversized musical instruments and explore over 20 new and existing art pieces along the Art Walk. Participating businesses and City Hall provided a cozy break.
Pop-Up Event Series
The Art Walk featured free Pop-Up Event Series at select locations and storefronts across downtown. Nightly live performances showcased a diverse array of talent, including musicians, vocalists, drag artists and dancers.
VMF After Dark Victoria
VMF After Dark Victoria, a 19+ ticketed event took place on Saturday, February 17 from 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. at Hermann's Upstairs Lounge. This late-night celebration showcased artists from diverse backgrounds, identities and colourful self-expressions.
Winter Arts Fest Dialogue: Light & Language
On Sunday, February 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum, Winter Arts Festival artists, curators and community members were invited to join a conversation on how art, culture and storytelling are crucial to strengthening the social fabric of a just, healthy and equitable society.
Partner Experiences
There were many Partner Experiences to explore at the Winter Arts Festival, including the Power and Joy of Words & Music performance at the Belfry Theatre; guest stars at the Jagasilk Teabar; a floral art opening reception; ocean artwork exhibit; a pop-up library; hands-on lantern making and more.
The Winter Arts Festival was produced by VMF and brought to you by OUR DWTN, a City of Victoria initiative.
The historic Crystal Garden, operated by the Victoria Conference Centre is hosting two indoor pickleball courts in a temporary installation from January 9 to February 18, 2024 as part of the City's OUR DWTN revitalization program. The pickleball courts are available for a mix of drop-in times, court reservations and registered programs. Registration is now open.
Downtown Victoria was the place to be to get festive during the holiday season and enjoy the sparkle of enhanced LED tree lighting, festive winter hanging baskets and new OUR DWTN winter banners.
In 2023, City crews installed 250 winter hanging baskets around downtown – double the number than the previous year. Each winter basket was filled with a delightful mix of evergreens, including Red cedar, Douglas, Noble and Silver fir, White pine and Mountain hemlock, adorned with a beautiful white bow.
Victoria’s downtown shined brightly with more trees decorated with twinkling LED lights. Downtown was also aglow with 150 blue and white-lit festive tree fixtures, perched on top of Victoria’s iconic cluster lampposts.
From the Inner Harbour to Centennial Square, the City was illuminated for the holiday season to compliment the many other holiday offerings such as the Downtown Victoria Business Association's Lights of Wonder, the 41st Peninsula Co-op Santa Claus Parade, free winter craft workshops and more.
We are exploring new opportunities for art activations and refreshing some artworks within the downtown core.
Recently the Poet Tree at the corner of Broughton and Government Streets was cleaned and repainted. Created by Glenn Closson as a legacy artwork for Victoria's inaugural Poet Laureate Carla Funk, the sculpture includes lines from her poem “Hide & Seek." The next time you’re downtown, check out the refreshed colours and design details of the artwork’s 300 forged leaves and its dragonflies.
The Commercial Alley Outdoor Art Gallery now features a new four-panel art installation by Ella Chay. Learn more.
The City of Victoria invited the community to participate in a festive afternoon downtown with family and friends at Sleigh the Day: Sing, Shop, Create on Sunday, December 17 from 1-4 p.m. on Government Street between Humboldt and Courtney Streets.
Free holiday craft making was available for all ages, along with the singing of timeless classics alongside festive carollers and the opportunity to explore unique handmade treasures and seasonal treats by local artisans.
Spiced apple cider, hot chocolate and seasonal craft beers poured by the Victoria Beer Society were available for purchase.
Sleigh the Day: Sing, Shop, Create was a City of Victoria’s OUR DWTN initiative in partnership with the Victoria Beer Society.
The City of Victoria and the Bay Centre partnered to offer a popular series of free card printmaking and wreath-making workshops in November and December 2023. Participants were invited to bring a food item donation for the Mustard Seed Food Bank.
Four hundred colourful banner were installed on downtown lampposts to beautify and enhance Victoria’s downtown.
The banners feature the OUR DWTN branding, which celebrates Victoria's dynamic, welcoming downtown community and encourages residents and visitors to come, stay and enjoy downtown as their own. The playfulness between the bold typeface, vibrant colours and dynamic graphics are used to elicit a sense of pride, inviting the viewer to explore their downtown.
The OUR DWTN revitalization program is investing in the downtown core with a focus on beautification, programming, cleaning and enhanced safety and the activation of downtown spaces.
Designed to provide safety and enjoyment to all who visit downtown Victoria, the program’s area of focus includes Wharf to Blanshard Streets and Belleville to Discovery Streets.
For its first year, Council has allotted close to $1 million to activate and refresh downtown with a mix of new retail experiences, pop-up culinary options, recreational and cultural programming, and events and placemaking initiatives – all in a clean and safe downtown.
OUR DWTN - 2023 Summer Snapshot Photo Gallery
What We've Done So Far
On June 27, 2023, the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association invited businesses within the current program boundaries to participate in the first annual OUR DWTN Scrub-Up. This event was a wonderful opportunity for businesses, staff and office workers to join City staff, council and the Downtown Victoria Business Association to refresh the face of their block and downtown, boosting the daily work of the City's Public Works cleaning crews.
The Feet on the Street program [PDF/196KB] provides a visible presence in the core, with bylaw officers making regular downtown patrols where they engage with the business community and proactively enforce bylaws relating to nuisance activities.
Under the OUR DWTN program, the City now has a dedicated OUR DWTN service person, who monitors and coordinates downtown cleaning and maintenance. This service person conducts regular downtown inspections and works with a larger cleaning crew to target areas of high need.
Visitors and residents alike experienced the charm of the Inner Harbour all summer long with food and entertainment provided by OUR DWTN’s Summer at Ship Point series. From mid-July to September, food trucks and live music brought life to Ship Point every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursdays, the Victoria Beer Society ran a weekly pop-up outdoor backyard gathering, hosted by DJ Benji & Friends, complete with local food trucks, craft beer and classic outdoor games.
OUR DWTN and the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) partnered to provide financial support to improve the look and feel of downtown blocks and business properties. This grant supports improvements such as landscaping, bird deterrent features, cleaning and upgraded exteriors, awnings and lighting. Learn more at downtownvictoria.ca.
The new Tam Kung Temple mural by artist Carolyn Wong is a celebration of art, history and culture. Located on Government Street near Fisgard Street on the south exterior of the Yen Wo Society building, this dynamic, storytelling mural includes elements of augmented reality by artist Mark Illing. Created as part of the OUR DWTN revitalization program with sponsorship from the Downtown Victoria Business Association and Sunbelt Rentals, the Tam Kung Temple Mural reflects the cultural heritage of Chinatown and the Tam Kung Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in Canada.
With OUR DWTN funding, several downtown spaces were upgraded with seating, planters, synthetic turf and in Centennial Square, recreational activities such as chess tables and a ping pong set.
Summer activities included downtown block parties, summer markets, events and festivals, as well as walking tours and more food trucks around downtown.
CityVibe, the City’s summer events guide was available online showcasing over 40 festivals and outdoor events and 150 free outdoor music concerts and activities around town.
Seasonal décor included the City’s annual orca horticultural display and iconic hanging baskets, along with more street furniture, new colourful summer banners and new public art installations in the Commercial Alley and Douglas Street kiosks.
OUR DWTN Around Town
We've branded our downtown revitalization initiative OUR DWTN. Perhaps you've seen it around town?