Victoria’s Canada Day celebrations will include a drone light show in addition to the usual fireworks — the first-ever drone show at the Inner Harbour, the City of Victoria says.
The seven-minute light show, set for just before the fireworks on July 1, will be curated and designed by Rande Cook, a Victoria-based Kwakwaka’wakw artist.
About 200 drones will come together to depict a Thunderbird, an orca, a tree of life and other symbols, he said. “The way these drones can shift the imagery and make things transform and move, it’s really exciting.”
Featured designs in the show were created after consulting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across Vancouver Island, he said.
The show’s message is that “we play a significant role in each others’ lives and we can come together and really celebrate diversity.” It will feature a spoken-word piece from Victoria poet laureate Marie Metaphor Specht.
The drone show will follow a headlining performance by DJ Shub, a Mohawk electronic artist who won the Juno Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year award in 2022.
Free Canada Day activities at the Inner Harbour will include performances by Hey Ocean, Mauvey, Posh Coat, Yvonne Kushe and the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers on the main stage, an array of food trucks parked on Belleville Street, and kid-friendly activities from the Victoria Fire Department, Victoria Bug Zoo and the Royal British Columbia Museum on the legislature lawns.
“Come join the festivities with friends and neighbours, new and known!” Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said in a statement. “Taste your way around the world, dance the afternoon and night away with some of Canada’s most talented musicians, be taken on Indigenous and multicultural journeys through storytelling and cultural performances, and stay for the spectacular drone and fireworks finale that will light up the night sky.”
The night will conclude with fireworks.
In September, the city approved a $350,000 contribution to Canada Day celebrations, an increase from the original $100,000 approved for the event.
Victoria city spokesperson Colleen Mycroft said the province contributed $31,000 and the federal government $40,000 for the Canada Day festivities.
This year’s event is being produced by the Rifflandia Entertainment Company, which produces the Rifflandia music festival in September.
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