Winter Arts Festival is February 16-19 City of Victoria

Bring friends and family downtown over the Family Day long weekend, February 16-19 from 5-9 p.m., to enjoy Victoria’s new 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 will provide warm spaces to gather, creating a rhythm of indoor and outdoor public art experiences. 

The multi-day event kicks 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. Check out the performance line-up. 

Art Walk

Experience the Festival’s Art Walk, featuring new and existing public art installations, vibrant displays, pop-up performances and local businesses open late. 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". 

Winter Arts Hub

The Winter Arts Hub will serve as a warm gathering spot where the community can 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 Winter Arts Hub will be an indoor/outdoor space located at Herald Street Brew Works (506 Herald Street), adjacent to the Circulatory Boutique’s parking lot. Check out the performance schedule for the Showstream Stage from February 16-19.

Art Walk Passport

Enhance your Winter Arts Festival experience with the Art Walk Passport. For pick-up and drop-off at the Winter Arts Hub, collect stamps at six participating Art Walk storefronts for a chance to win FREE Evo Car Share driving minutes. 

Pop-Up Event Series

The Art Walk will feature the free Pop-Up Event Series at select locations and storefronts across downtown. Nightly live performances will showcase a diverse array of talent, including musicians, vocalists, drag artists and dancers. Expect performances at venues you know and love, as well as unusual locations you may have yet to discover!

Warm-Up Stations

It might get chilly while you wander, discovering epic art and tucked away pop-up events, so we've 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 locations are featured on three digital maps. Look for pink lights in the windows of participating businesses. 

VMF After Dark Victoria

VMF After Dark Victoria, a 19+ ticketed event on Saturday, February 17 from 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. at Hermanns Upstairs Lounge, is a late-night celebration created to spotlight artists from diverse backgrounds, identities and colourful self-expressions. 

Winter Arts Fest Dialogue: Light & Language

Register online to attend the free Winter Arts Fest Dialogue: Light & Language on Sunday, February 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum (doors open at 6 p.m.). First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation representatives Emily Cabrera and Alix Goetzinger will speak about Indigenous languages, followed by a conversation with Winter Arts Festival artists, curators and community members. 

Partner Experiences

Celebrate the Power and Joy of Words and Music with the BC Black History Awareness Society on Monday, February 19 from 7-9 p.m. at the Belfry Theatre (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). The event opens with a performance from Addena Sumter-Freitag Addena who is an actor as well as a published and award-winning author. Addena’s stories and poems will challenge you, confront you, caress and console you. The main performance of the evening is from award-winning Maureen Washington, a Canadian and International legend who will deliver a thrilling, energetic, and soulful performance of jazz, blues and ballads with her band. In-person ticket sales at the door only; suggested donation is $10 per person.