FernFest Returns thanks to Community
Whatever the problem, community is the answer
FernFest will return on June 13, 2026 as a one-day, community-led celebration of local arts, music, food, and neighbourhood connection.
Earlier this year, Fernwood Neighbourhood House (formally Fernwood NRG) announced that it would not be able to directly produce FernFest in 2026 due to organizational capacity constraints. The response from the community […]
The Songhees Nation, with support from the City of Victoria, invites Greater Victoria residents to the fifth annual South Island Powwow on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at Royal Athletic Park. The Powwow is hosted on the homelands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
The South Island Powwow honours and recognizes survivors of Indian Residential and Day Schools and their families, […]
We start the 2026 season of Play Streets with a welcoming party at the Fernwood Neighbourhood House. Meet new neighbours, and find out about upcoming activities for kids. Did you know Play Streets is part of a world-wide movement to reclaim streets for kids? Join us for four street parties April through September on the 1600 block of Camosun — the street will be closed to cars and open to PLAY. Each party celebrates making spaces safe for kids to be free, while encouraging multi-generational play and connection, too! Finally, in November of this year we are hosting a special community board game café at Little Fernwood! Find a new favourite game and new friends who play with. Thank you to our volunteers and to the Welcoming Group and the Victoria Neighbourhood Small Grants to make this possible! If you would like to volunteer to help at an event contact marianne@thebackyardproject.ca. All events are free and everyone is welcome. Come play!
April 26, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, 1240 Gladstone: Meet Your New Neighbours and Play
Play Streets connects neighbours new and old! Come to the Fernwood Neighbourhood House gym to enjoy some food and play games. There’ll be crafts, a bouncy castle, and more.
May 24, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, 1600 block Camosun St: Community Potluck & Kids Cardboard Village
Building a cardboard village has become a Play Streets favourite – organizers provide the cardboard, the kids do the rest. We make a village together. There’ll be a scavenger hunt, art-making, good food and friendship. Bring a dish to share!
June 28, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, 1600 block Camosun St: Bike Day & Parade
Everything Bikes and Scooters, too! We’ll learn bike safety, and how to do simple repairs. There’ll be bike decorating, and a short and sweet bike parade around the neighbourhood that kids can do! Parents can ride along or cheer.
July 26, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, 1600 block Camosun St: Kids’ Maker Market
Fernwood kids, get making! You are invited to sell your wares at the Kids’ Maker Market. Organizers set up tables, and the kids bring things they’ve made to sell, trade or give away. There’ll also be art / making activities, games, face painting, and a treasure hunt.
Sept 27, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, 1600 block Camosun St: Pollinator Day & Stone Soup
Bring a vegetable and see it magically feed a community. Organizers make stone soup and pollinator tea for everyone. We’ll also spend time in the pollinator garden, playing games, making art and learning about our pollinator heroes.
November 22, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, 1923 Fernwood Rd: Community Board Game Cafe
Join us at Little Fernwood for a special community board game cafe – try new games and meet your neighbours. There’ll be yummy snacks, too.
All events celebrate multi-generational play, craft, and neighbours sharing food together!
For more information: fernwoodplaystreets.wordpress.com
This is a BERRY fun weekend with a truck full of Saanich Strawberries arriving in F E R N W O O D !!
130+ ARTISTS • CHEFS • DESIGNERS
SATURDAY & SUNDAY with all new vendors each day!! Explore the ridiculous, sweet, fun through out the Fernwood Community Centre both days as we flip the vendors each day! This delicious event hosts over 20 Chefs. Play traditional games from Japan, visit the Chado Tea Ceremony Group serving fresh Ichigo Daifuku and tea, sing Karaoke, build a terrarium, dress up to win prizes, strawberry Photo Booth and more!
$4 TAP or CASH at the main door on the street level of the Fernwood Community Centre
Follow along
@thefernwoodmaketsparty + @withlocal.co
Hand-cut • Printed • Dyed
A convergence of clothing designer and fashion, in one room! Find one of a kind pieces to add to your collection, with over 30 Artist and Designers from across the island and Vancouver.
Explore a vast variety of shapes and textures to express your own unique style.
One day only • APRIL 18th
11-4pm at 1240 Gladstone Ave at the Fernwood Community Centre
Ample change rooms, Nail Art nook, jewelry, bags and a tasters and food outside.
Follow @thefernwoodmakersparty on IG
@the fernwood makers PARTY on FB
https://facebook.com/events/s/hand-cut-fashion-market/1210220964487181/
The internet has had a lot to say about FernFest this week. Some thoughtful, some passionate, and at least one theory involving an unusual number of very tall people at last year’s festival.
We appreciate the enthusiasm and wanted to share a bit more context.
FernFest has been an amazing part of the neighbourhood for many years, and we are incredibly grateful for the memories, music, art, and connection it has created.
We are a small nonprofit organization and while FernFest has been one way we’ve helped bring people together, it is only one part of what we do. Every day we are also running licensed child care programs, family and youth programs, food initiatives like our weekly Community Dinner and gardens, baby drop-ins, and many other activities that support people across the neighbourhood.
Over time FernFest has grown into a very large and very expensive undertaking. Even for a dedicated organization like ours, we simply can’t do everything.
So we’ve made the difficult decision not to coordinate the festival this year.
What we care most about is the spirit of community celebration that FernFest represents. Fernwood has always been a neighbourhood where people step forward with ideas, creativity, and energy to make things happen together.
We would love to support that spirit continuing in new ways and if Fernwood has taught us anything over the years, it’s that when people care this much about something, it usually means someone is about to make something great happen.
And so, in this spirit, we’re convening a visioning space for folks who are interested in helping coordinate a community celebration in Fernwood this year. If you’re a neighbour, artist, business owner, volunteer, or someone with an idea, we’d love to connect. Please fill out this form and we’ll send you the time and place:
And if you love the work we do and want to help sustain it, one of the most helpful things you can do is support us through donating, volunteering, or participating in programs.
We’re grateful to be part of such a vibrant and passionate neighbourhood, and we’re excited to see what the community creates next (and if the tall people theory holds true).
Welcoming the return of pink blossom laden trees during this liminal space of Spring and the good byes of this Winter dreamscape. Immerse your senses in this exploration or Art and Foods with the talented artists and food creatives at the Hanami : Blossom Market.
The day is filled with fun flavours, traditional foods, brilliant artists, […]
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