FREE-B FILM FESTIVAL
Where: Cameron Bandshell, Beacon Hill Park
When: Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17, 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
Why: There’s plenty to like about the Free-B Film Festival, the beloved outdoor movies series by the team behind the Victoria Film Festival. Not only is the event held at Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park free to attend, it gives residents and visitors an opportunity to use the under-utilized urban park for something other than feeding ducks and petting baby goats. The series (which runs each Friday and Saturday in August) has two films on tap this weekend, including Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age classic Stand By Me and the animated cult favourite The Last Unicorn. If you had to choose, the former is the can’t-miss choice, with scores of memorable highlights, including a boss soundtrack and pie-eating scene that may have a viewer or two heading for the exits.
ROCK THE BLOCK
Where: 2692 Dunsmuir Ave., Cumberland (in front of The Waverly Hotel)
When: Saturday, Aug. 17, 5 p.m.
Tickets: $49.13 from cumberlandvillageworks.com
Why: Cumberland Village Works and Mt. Eliah — the creative and organizational forces behind the gone-but-not-forgotten Cumberland Wild festival and, years prior, the Atompshere Gathering — have returned with Rock the Block, a street party in downtown Cumberland featuring performances by the Boom Booms, Mood Swing & Chevy Bass, Coal Dust Gang, Mt. Eliah, The Spin Jinny, Miss Pippin Pipsqueak and more. Held on Dunsmuir Avenue, in front of the block which houses the popular Waverly Hotel, the outdoor music event adds a welcome sense of community to the area, with a licensed beverage area, food service, a large dance floor. Given their track record in the village, expect the latest effort by the festival-friendly organizers to be the event of the summer.
REMEMBER [WHAT]
Where: Laketown Ranch Music and Recreation Park, 8811 Youbou Rd., Lake Cowichan
When: Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17
Tickets: $161.08 from thornbu.sh
Why: Big-footprint festivals like Sunfest and Laketown Shakedown aren’t the only annual events held at Laketown Ranch in Lake Cowichan. Like the Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Festival and OtherWorld before it, this weekend’s Remember [What] is tucked away from the main stage, a move that gives the electronic music event a boutique feel. The overnight camping facilities add another unique element to this two-day party, which features some of the best dance music masters in the province over two stages. Hrdvsion, Matt Rose, The Mole and Matthew Jonson are among the many highlights.
