The beautiful gardens and groves that make Victoria a multi-coloured paradise of blossoms in the springtime also help turn it into an autumnal paradise in October and November.

Cool ocean breezes, blankets of crunchy leaves underfoot in Beacon Hill Park, a fire burning in your B&B’s wood stove or cozy hotel lobby, a pint of local cider or piping hot Empress tea, and pulling on your gumboots for a spooky walking tour. In case you need any more inspiration to book a trip to Victoria this autumn, here are some special events, attractions, and activities to pique your interest:

Autumn Events in Victoria

Art of the Cocktail
October 13, 2018
Art of The Cocktail is the biggest cocktail party on the island! With over 900 attendees, 40 exhibitors & over 60 spirits being served, AoC brings the party to the heart of Victoria for an unforgettable festival of tasting, masterclasses and fun.

Stein and Dine
October 20, 2018
Victoria‘s own Oktoberfest! Hosted by the Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop in the Victoria Public Market, enjoy live entertainment, games, accordion music, Oktoberfest dancers, lederhosen contest, beard and braid contest, beer pong, giant Jenga, prize wheel and more. Stein & Dine is also a community oriented event, they give 10% of the ticket sales back to MOVE Adapted Fitness and Rehabilitation Society of BC.

Autumn Themed Activities

Pendray Farms Corn Maze
Until October 29, 2018
You can wander over 10km of trails through 14 acres of corn at the largest maze on Vancouver Island! Trek through the small or large maze – or both – then enjoy kettle corn at the concession. Don’t miss Pendray’s corn pit and Pendray’s barrel-train ride.

Ghostly Walk Tours
I do this tour every time I’m in Victoria! It combines local history with an informative walking tour, and of course spooky, spine-tingling tales. Visit the site of historic events, admire the architecture of Government Street, and see city landmarks in a whole new light. From the ramparts of the Fairmont Empress to Rogers Chocolates, the city’s best storytellers will share spirited accounts.

Whale Watching
Located on the rugged southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is an ideal launching point for your whale watching adventure in the Salish Sea. Book with Eagle Wing, Prince of Whales, Orca Spirit, Spring Tide, or Five Star and choose your wildlife adventure tour.

Watching the Salmon Run at Goldstream Provincial Park
Ranked as one of the most Instagrammable places in Greater Victoria, Goldstream Provincial Park is even more stunning when its leafy canopy changes colour. It’s at this time of year that you can watch the salmon run and see salmon spawning – a wonderful feat of nature just 16km from Downtown Victoria.

For Foodies in Victoria

Tour Local Craft Brewers/Wineries
Victoria is the Craft Beer Capital of BC and home to Canada’s first brewpub, Spinnakers. The city’s variety of unique producers are famous for locally made beers, ciders, wines and spirits.

High Tea at the Empress
Enjoy the royal treatment by partaking in England’s most beloved ritual at the legendary Fairmont Empress. I have enjoyed tea after shopping with a girlfriend by the fire in the grand Empress Room, and have ordered the Princess Tea for my niece during a family sightseeing getaway.

Whatever the occasion, there’s always scones, pastries, clotted creams and strawberry preserves with fresh lavender from the rooftop herb garden served to your table on a three tier tray. Let’s not forget about the tea! 21 loose leafs teas are on offer, and whenever I’m in town I pick up a box of my mother’s favourite, the Empress Blend tea, from the hotel’s gift shop.

Stay a While

Do something extraordinary this autumn, and book you trip to Victoria including a stay at one of the city’s lovely accommodations. From B&Bs and historic hotels, to boutique or resort offerings just steps from the capitol.

Follow Destination Greater Victoria on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #ExploreVictoria to plan your next adventure.

Oktoberfest, fall colours in the park, shows, markets and more! Autumn is in full swing and there are plenty of fun things to do in Vancouver this weekend:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Friday, October 12, 2018
Oktoberfest at the Alpen Club
The Y2K Party: The City’s Biggest 2000s Dance Party
Sharon & Bram and Friends 40th Anniversary Farewell Tour
Family Paint Night
I’m a Hippy: Fundraising Gala for BCCHF
F Cancer Vancouver
Savour Fall Food Festival
Fan Expo Vancouver
The Great Big Boo, Richmond
West Coast Women’s Show
Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex Grand Opening Weekend
Vancouver International Improv Festival
Théâtre la Seizième Presents Baby-Sitter
Cirque du Soleil’s CORTEO
Vancouver International Film Festival
Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train
Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour
Sweeney Todd The Musical
MASH by Tim Kelly Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

The Chan Centre presents Balkan composer and bandleader Goran Bregović and His Wedding and Funeral Band on October 21st. Drawing on the traditional Balkan rhythms and soulful Romani folk tunes of his homeland, Bregović makes his Chan Centre debut in this exclusive, sold-out evening with a program of all-time favourites and new songs from his latest album, Three Letters from Sarajevo.

Goran Bregović at the Chan Centre

When: Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 7:00pm
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (UBC, 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
Tickets: SOLD OUT!

The charismatic artist is “a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages” (San Francisco Chronicle) and has collaborated with such greats as Iggy Pop, Cesária Évora, and Asaf Avidan.

Throughout his career, Bregović has remained unmistakably Balkan with his uplifting and eclectic melodies. For almost 20 years, Bregović and his Wedding and Funeral Band, which varies in size from nine to 19 depending on the occasion, have been on a never-ending world tour that so far has included more than 1,000 shows. Demonstrating the unique tone and multicultural influences in his work, Bregović’s concerts are known for being triumphant affairs that emphasize a love of music that is undeniably intoxicating.

Performing for the first time at the Chan Centre, Bregović and his Wedding and Funeral Band will play a selection of all-time favourites, such as Bella Ciao and Presidente, alongside new songs like Baila Leila and Pero from Three Letters from Sarajevo. A meeting place for Muslims, Christians, and Jews before the Balkan Wars, the city of Sarajevo has influenced Bregović’s music throughout his career.

In this new album, Bregović celebrates his birthplace and its cultural history with a mixture of foot-stomping percussion and haunting Bulgarian, Georgian, and Corsican chants for a night of jubilant sounds and lively entertainment.

Win Tickets

The Chan Centre has offered up two tickets for a lucky Miss604 reader to see Goran Bregovic. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see #GoranBregovic at the @ChanCentre http://ow.ly/bdzR30mbsrp” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Monday, October 15, 2018. Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about upcoming shows.

Update The winner is Natasha!

Dress for Success Vancouver (“DFSV”) will host their 6th annual Success Luncheon on November 14th in order to celebrate the Dress for Success community of sponsors, supporters, ambassadors and champions.

Dress for Success Vancouver’s Success Luncheon

When: Wednesday November 14, 2018 from 11:15am to 1:30pm
Where: JW Marriott Parq Vancouver (39 Smithe St, Vancouver)
Tickets: Individual tickets are available for $150. Tables of 10 available for $1,500.

The event will feature speakers Mary Jo Dionne, Dress for Success Client Ambassador Geraldine Roxas and returning to MC the event is Fiona Forbes.

Geraldine will also be awarded the DFSV Inspiration Award, acknowledging her journey and achievements with the support of Dress for Success programs. The Success Luncheon is an annually anticipated opportunity to bring together the organization’s corporate supporters and share the work the achievements of the organisation over the past year.

Mary Jo Dionne, this year’s keynotes is an award winning writer, speaker and philanthropist. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, has appeared on CBC, Global TV and is a repeat guest on Vancouver’s Breakfast Television. She has openly shared her and her Mother’s story overcoming poverty, circumstance and challenges and the frame of mind that led them to success. Her messages are clear and expertly delivered with warmth and humility. Mary Jo has also spoken at Sir Richard Branson’s home on Necker Island.

In addition to the keynote and award presentation, guests will networking, meet with speakers and local corporate supporters across sectors and enjoy a plated lunch. Raffles tickets and opportunities to sponsor a DFSV woman will be available.

About Dress for Success Vancouver

Dress for Success Vancouver is a registered charity committed to empowering women into the workforce by providing professional attire, career development tools and a career advancement program. An affiliate of the international organization Dress for Success, DFSV was established in 1999 as the first international affiliate and has served over 30,000 women in the Lower Mainland.

Follow Dress for Success Vancouver on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.

Tucked between Hallelujah Point and the famously photographed Stanley Park totem poles, there’s a 14-foot sculpture that highlights some important local history. Unveiled in 2015, Shore to Shore, by Coast Salish master carver Luke Marston (Ts’uts’umutl), was also the first sculpture depicting historical female figures in a Vancouver park.

Shore to Shore

[Source: Shore to Shore]

Shore to Shore is a tribute to Portuguese adventurer Joe Silvey (“Portuguese Joe”). He was born and raised on Portugal’s Altantic Azores Islands, though after several adventures, Joe found himself on the Pacific, and an early pioneer of Vancouver’s Gastown.

[Source: The City of Vancouver]

Standing at the village site of X̲wáýx̲way, the sculpture was carved in yellow cedar, then cast in bronze. The three figures are:

• The man known as Portuguese Joe Silvey, pioneer whaler, fisherman and one-time Gastown saloon-keeper who migrated to BC around 1858 from the Portuguese Azorean island of Pico
• His first wife Khaltinaht, a Musqueam noblewoman who died of tuberculosis at a young age, leaving two children
• Silvey’s second wife, Kwatleematt of the Sechelt First Nation, with whom Silvey had nine more children

Artist Luke Marston is the great-great-grandson of Portuguese Joe and Kwatleemaat.

Silvey and Khaltinaht, and later Kwatleematt, lived in a mixed-race community at Brockton Point, near where the sculpture is located, until the family moved to Reid Island around 1878 to escape growing racism.

The large bronze sculpture is surrounded by engraved Portuguese stone. It marks the land’s rich heritage, and symbolizes unity for the Vancouver’s present-day diverse inhabitants. You can follow the story of Shore to Shore here, and be sure to visit it next time you’re in the park.