VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 170

Hosted by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and with more than 60 years of history behind
it, Swiftsure International Yacht Race (250/592-9098, www.swiftsure.org , last weekend
of May, finishes at Inner Harbour) attracts thousands of spectators to the shoreline of the
Inner Harbour to watch a wide variety of vessels cross the finish line in six different classes,
including the popular pre-1970 Classics division.
SUMMER
At Victoria Jazzfest International (250/388-4423, www.jazzvictoria.ca , last week of June,
downtown), more than 300 musicians from around the world descend on the capital for this
weeklong celebration at various city venues.
At Symphony Splash (250/385-9771, www.victoriasymphony.ca , first Sun. in Aug., In-
ner Harbour), the local symphony orchestra performs from a barge moored in the Inner Har-
bour to masses crowded around the shore. This unique musical event attracts upwards of
40,000 spectators who line the shore or watch from kayaks.
The water comes alive during the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival (250/704-2500,
www.victoriadragonboat.com , middle weekend of Aug., Inner Harbour), with 90 dragon
boat teams competing along a short course stretching across the Inner Harbour. Onshore
entertainment includes the Forbidden City Food Court, classic music performances, First
Nations dancing, and lots of children's events.
The Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival (250/383-2663, www.victoriafringe.com , last
week of Aug., throughout the city) is a celebration of alternative theater, with more than 350
acts performing at venues throughout the city, including outside along the harbor foreshore
and inside at the Conservatory of Music on Pandora Street. All tickets are around $12-18.
SHOPPING
Downtown
Victoria is a shopper's delight. Most shops and all major department stores are generally
open 9:30am-5:30pm Monday-Saturday and stay open for late-night shopping Thursday
and Friday nights until 9pm. The touristy shops around the Inner Harbour and along
Government Street are all open Sunday. Government Street is the main strip of tourist and
gift shops. The bottom end, behind the Fairmont Empress Hotel, is where you'll pick up all
those tacky T-shirts and such. Farther up the street are more stylish shops, such as James
Bay Trading Co. (1102 Government St., 250/388-5477), which specializes in First Nations
arts from coastal communities; Hill's Native Art (1008 Government St., 250/385-3911),
selling a wide range of authentic First Nations souvenirs; and Cowichan Trading (1328