One of the best places to spend Victoria Day and the May long weekend is in Victoria where the city celebrates with a festival and various other activities.
In 2026 Victoria Day falls on Monday, May 18th. The annual parade takes place this year, along with other activities elsewhere in the region.
Read our article about the Victoria Day Parade to learn about the parade. Continue reading to learn about other activities on the weekend as well.
Victoria and the May Long Weekend
Victoria Day is a statutory holiday that celebrates the birthday of Queen Victoria who lived from 1819 to 1901. It’s this Queen after whom the City of Victoria was named. The occasion is celebrated all across Canada, but especially in British Columbia’s capital city, on the Monday before May 25th each year.
A lot usually happens in downtown Victoria and the Inner Harbour on the May long weekend. Some of the best events that take place most years include the following:
- Victoria Day Parade – a large parade featuring over 100 floats, with the procession starting at the intersection of Belleville and Government Street, marking a new route in 2026. (The 126th parade takes place on Monday, May 18th in 2026.)
- Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival – a family-friendly Scottish festival that happens at Topaz Park. (May 9th to 17th in 2026.)
- Luxton Spring Fair – a fair with fun carnival rides, food trucks and more in Langford on the May long weekend. (May 14th to 17th in 2026.)
Victoria Day Performances
Free performances take place in downtown Victoria on the Saturday and Sunday of the May long weekend most years. On those two days there is usually live music outside the BC Legislature. Entertainment details for 2026 are to be confirmed.
Lots of marching bands come to Victoria for the parade as well. They travel from all around BC and even from the United States. In addition to playing and marching in the parade, many of them normally perform for free on the Saturday and Sunday.
On the holiday Monday a few years ago, there was more live entertainment at Centennial Square near Victoria’s City Hall after the parade. There were free activities and performances in the square. 2026 details are to be confirmed.
The Victoria Day Parade
Victoria Day Parade, held in BC’s capital, Victoria, is one of the biggest and longest parades in Canada. Not many parades go on for a full three hours!
The parade takes place on the holiday Monday. It starts at around 9:00 am outside Mayfair Mall around 3147 Douglas Street. The floats, bands and other parade entries usually meet and set up in the mall’s parking lot. From there the procession makes its way down Douglas Street all the way to Courtney Street.
Tens of thousands of people line the street to see the parade. There are lots of floats, marching bands, clowns, VIPs in cars, military vehicles, emergency vehicles, collectible cars and other entries by local businesses and community groups.
Read our article about the Victoria Day Parade to learn more about this parade.
Victoria Day Parade Marching Bands
Check out the following video to get an idea about what the Victoria Day Parade looks like, and the wide variety of marching bands that participate.
The video shows scenes of the parade from a couple of years before COVID-19. The focus of the video is on the bands. There are lots of floats, emergency vehicles, clowns and even boats sometimes too. They just aren’t included in the video.
So many marching bands participate in the parade. Many are school bands, some of which come up on tour from the United States. There are also military bands, bands with drums and bands with bagpipes. They all make the parade a wonderful experience, and many of them perform around downtown Victoria at other times on the weekend too.
See our article about the Victoria Day Parade to learn more about what happens on Victoria Day, and for a video that shows more of the parade.
Other Information
See the Victoria Festivals & Events Calendar for a list of other events in the city at other times of the year.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
See the Vancouversbestplaces.com website to learn about what’s happening on the May long weekend in the Lower Mainland.
