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250-667-4585The Nanaimo Marine Festival
Be sure to catch one of the most treasured festivals and races this summer in Nanaimo. Join us for the 2013 Nanaimo Marine Festival and International World Bathtub Race. That’s right, you heard me, a bathtub race. The Nanaimo Harbour sets the scene for a bathtub race that started in 1967. Today, the great race finishes at Departure Bay covering a challenging course that Circles Entrance Island and up around The Winchelsea Islands and back. This race is part of the four-day Nanaimo Marine Festival and we are in its 47th running year.
The cost for a bathtub for this race is around $3000 and Industrial Plastics in Nanaimo makes most of the unique nautical vessels. To register for the race is $50 and the official registration starts on the Thursday of bathtub week and Saturday night prior to Sunday’s start.
This is just one of the events taking place during the Marine Festival. With a kiddies Carnival, beer garden, parade, fireworks display and Street fair, there something for everyone during the Marine Festival.
The schedule starts Friday, July 5 with the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival and runs Saturday, July 6 to Sunday, July 7. On Sunday, July 21 is the Silly Boat Regatta Race which starts at 2 PM at the Swy-a-lana Lagoon. Then Thursday, July 25 is when it all starts at the Nanaimo Bastion. There will be a ceremonial cutting of the festival cake at 10:30 AM by Miss Nanaimo Ambassador and Princesses. At 11:45 the canon fires at Bastion and the opening of the great bathtub race registration starts at 6 PM.
On Friday, July 26 enjoy the food fair, merchant displays, music and entertainment from 9 AM until 5 PM at the Maffeo Sutton Park and Downtown Nanaimo.
Then on Sunday the great race begins with the setting of the start line at 8 AM. And the great race starts at exactly 11 AM. Food fair, displays, carnivals and playgrounds, musical events and entertainment will be happening all weekend long surrounding the most prominent activity of all, the great bathtub race.
Click here for a more detailed schedule of Friday through Sunday’s events.
Don’t miss your opportunity to join us for this one-of-a-kind festival an event happening every July in the Nanaimo BC. Photo by Paul Kovach
