Go: The Victoria International Buskers Festival
When we headed north a few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to hop on a ferry and head to Canada for the Victoria International Busker Festival. If you're not familiar with the term, buskers are street performers who entertain others in public places for tips or donations. If you've ever been to San Francisco's Fisherman's Warf, you've likely encountered a busker or two (or ten).
I can't begin to tell you how much I love the crazy talent that can be found in the busking community. When we heard that Victoria had created a festival specifically for the souls brave enough to put it all out there on a street corner, we couldn't pass it up. And we're so glad we made the trip.
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The ride from Port Angeles to Victoria aboard the Coho was a bit rough, but beautiful nonetheless. You may recognize a few of these views from my recent post about the Pacific Northwest.
The boat docked in Victoria, we went through customs (snagging the first stamps in our recently renewed passports) and started the day by exploring the cute harbor city.
This place was so adorable... we ended up coming back for dinner before the ferry ride home. Delicious!
The Busker Festival was just getting set up, so were were lucky to discover a great little market taking place as well. We stumbled upon so many amazing artists and small business owners along the way, which was a real treat!
Once the festival got underway, we had to pick and choose which entertainers to watch. With everything from a (very) strong lady and talented break dancers to a bendy street circus duo and a gravity-defying acrobat/gymnast/performer on the schedule, there was something for everyone.
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Charmaine (a.k.a. The Strong Lady):
There were also smaller acts and solo street performers posted up around town, which made exploring the city streets even more fun.
Once we'd watched all we could watch and tipped all we could tip, we strolled on over to The Empress Hotel—which looks exactly as though it belongs on a movie set—to take a closer look at the grounds.
Wouldn't it be great to stay there? It's on our wish list.
We wrapped up the trip with another ferry ride (smooth sailing this time) back to Port Angeles, during which we took in a pretty spectacular sunset and even caught a glimpse of whales giving us a performance of their own.
So, yes, if you can find a festival where ferry rides, buskers and cute towns are involved—I say GO.
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What about you? Have you ever been a Busker Festival?