Since the pandemic, communities throughout the South Island have been working to make sure they’re on the concert circuit
During the last couple of years, Nature Boy’s awareness of when exactly summer begins seems to have become tied to announcements of all the free outdoor summer concerts that take place around town.
I’m not talking about music festivals, those bright, busy, ticket-necessary events such as the Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival, the TD Victoria International Jazz Festival and Rifflandia. I’m talking about the free series — the ones you turn to in order to keep guests happy, occupied and out of your hair when wave after wave of company descends through the summer months, stopping by at your (apparently too) comfortable and (apparently too) welcoming waystation on the B.C. coastal gravy train.
Since the end of that in-between, all-too-much-here-and-not-near-enough-elsewhere time we call The Pandemic, communities throughout the South Island have been working to make sure they’re on the concert circuit. Many now organize music series in local parks.
The series may be small — three or four afternoons or evenings in July or August — or they may involve multiple concerts at different times several days each week at multiple outdoor venues. Some communities move their concerts through different parks, and others use permanent bandshells or stages throughout the season.
Some communities book bands that specialize in decadal retrospectives of popular tunes of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s or ’80s, for example. Others offer a range of musical styles and band sizes — folk, jazz, blues, or brass, for example.
Some series are scheduled for weekend afternoons or evenings, others occur throughout the week, and others yet at noon, in the afternoon and in the evening.
Almost all feature local performers, although occasionally some will capitalize on a couple of bands passing through on the B.C. coastal festival circuit to book some new sounds for local residents.
All of the series are free.
All take place in local parks or similarly publicly accessible spaces.
The series serve residents, local governments and, of course, the performers. Municipal governments are seen to be supporting local arts and culture, per their mandates, and to be creating opportunities for people to visit their community’s downtown or other areas where businesses might benefit from the extra traffic.
They are seen to be creating value and meaning in and for their parks and other public spaces, funding for which is often first on the chopping block in tight times.
And, as they’re doing all that, local governments are also creating opportunities to build community. Music listened to as a group tends to create a sense of community and commonality all on its own, with listeners tapping their fingers, shuffling their feet and bopping their heads in unison.
By bringing residents together to celebrate summer, and music, and a lovely afternoon or evening, and parks/public spaces together, the organizers are deepening the sharing from mere beat and rhythm into shared community experience.
Here are some of the free series held throughout the Victoria area this summer.
City Victoria offers its Summer Music Concert Series at Ship’s Point, Fort Commons and Beacon Hill Park’s Cameron Bandshell, Centennial Square until early October — check the CityVibes calendar for times and who is playing, and for other events at those locations: victoria.ca/media/file/cityvibe-2024
Oak Bay holds its Summer Concerts in the Park on one Saturday afternoon and every second Thursday evening at Willow’s Beach: oakbay.ca/series/oak-bay-summer-concerts-in-the-park-2025/
Sidney hosts the Summer Sounds Concert Series at the Sidney Pier bandshell on Saturday afternoons until Aug. 24: exploresidney.ca/events/list/?tribe-bar-date=2025-07-05&tribe-bar-search=concert, then click on “month” in the calendar tab
Saanich offers Music in the Parks on Tuesday evenings from July 8 to August 26: saanich.ca/EN/main/parks-recreation-community/parks/events-in-park/music-in-the-park.html
Esquimalt’s Memorial Park Music Fest runs over three Tuesday evenings in July: esquimalt.ca/community-events/memorial-park-music-fest-2025
Langford’s Music in the Park runs 2–4 p.m. on Sundays at Veteran’s Memorial Park, while Fridays at the Station take place at 4–8 p.m. on — you guessed it — Fridays at Langford Station: langford.ca/calendar/music-in-the-park. Colwood’s own Music in the Park series runs Saturdays from May to the Labour Day weekend: colwood.ca/parks-recreation-culture/events-festivals/music-park-2025
Bonus series: The Lieutenant Governor of B.C. is carrying on a tradition begun more than 20 years ago by the late lieutenant governor Iona Campagnola by offering its annual evening Music on the Lawn series on July 3, 10, and 17. Details: ltgov.bc.ca/government-house-public-events
If you’re looking for music festivals instead, check out theTimes Colonist’sMike Devlin’s Festival 2025 guide here: timescolonist.com/islander/festival-fun-our-guide-to-the-best-summer-events-on-vancouver-island-10722807
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