Eat ribs for a good cause at Esquimalt Ribfest
Esquimalt Ribfest has been satiating the sticky-sweet needs of meat lovers since 2013, with increasingly exceptional results.
Founded and operated by the Esquimalt Fire Fighters’ Charitable Foundation, with proceeds to benefit local charities and school-sponsored activities for area youth, upwards of 40,000 people attend the three-day event, according to reports. The event runs Sept. 6-8 at Bullen Park in Esquimalt. The hours of operation are 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Ribbers from across Canada — including Boss Hog’s (from London, Ontario), Smoke Dem Bones (Vancouver), Prairie Smoke and Spice (Regina), Gator BBQ (Simcoe, Ontario), Pit Crew BBQ (Maritimes), and Grizzly BBQ (Victoria) — compete for awards and bragging rights, while attendees sample the merchandise and enjoy wine, cider, beer, and ranch water. Free family activities and local artisans and vendors are also on hand.
Music also represents a big area of focus at the event, with a huge dancefloor put to good use until approximately 10 p.m. each night. The lineup includes, among others, the Deb Rhymer Band, David Gogo Band, and Jimmy D Lane (on Friday), the B-Sides, Harvey Hann & The Bandit Band, and Bad Medicine (Saturday), and Posh Coat, Soul Shakers, JaimesonRhy, The Smokestacks, Paul Black Band and Rock Steady (Sunday).
Bullen Field is located at 527 Fraser St. in Esquimalt. For more information, visit esquimaltribfest.com.
New location for Great Canadian Beer Festival
The oldest beer festival in Canada will celebrate its 30th year of operation at Topaz Park in Victoria this weekend, a new location this year for the Great Canadian Beer Festival.
The Victoria Beer Society event was launched in 1993 and and celebrates craft beer from across Canada, including many unavailable in B.C. Those include Banished Brewing from Newfoundland and Labrador; North Brewing and Big Spruce Brewing from Nova Scotia; Dieu du Ciel and Les Trois Mousquetaires from Québec; Blood Brothers, Bellwoods and Nickel Brook from Ontario; Low Life from Manitoba; Grizzly Paw and Eighty-Eight Brewing from Alberta; and Winterlong Brewing from Yukon.
Upwards of 180 beverages (from beer and cider to non-alcoholic beer) from more than 60 breweries and cideries across the country are being offered at the first-year location, after two decades of operation at Royal Athletic Park. “The move to Topaz Park gives us a blank slate to re-imagine the festival not only for the 30th anniversary but many years to come,” Ryan Malcolm, executive director of the Victoria Beer Society, said in a statement.
The Greater Victoria Beer Festival will be held Friday from 4 p.m until 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. Three ticket packages are available for the first time ever, all of which include a complimentary BC Transit bus ticket.
Additional drink tokens are available and can be purchased on site.
For more infomation, visit victoriabeersociety.com/gcbf.
