Canada Day is the perfect excuse to dress in red and white

Monday was the perfect excuse to get creative with red and white.

Many of the tens of thousands of people who took part in Canada Day events in Greater Victoria took the opportunity to display the colours of the flag.

Kathleen Bradley dressed head to toe in bright red. She then completed her look with a Canada Day hat purchased at the dollar store and red and white stickers.

“I just thought I would have fun for the first time in a long time,” she said with a smile.

George Burnside spent three hours decorating his car for the day.

On Monday, the Canadian elements attached to his car included maple leaf lights, mini red paper lanterns, Canadian flag truck nuts, a stuffed moose, maple leaf wind chimes and a litany of Canadian flags. “I brought it to life,” he said of his heavily customized 1965 Ford Fairlane.

Burnside, who participated in the Canada Day parade in Sydney, spent the afternoon showing off his creation at the Inner Harbour.

Munira Abalulesa wore a white jacket with her red scarf and dress that subtly represented the Canadian flag during her visit to the Inner Harbour festivities. “It’s a good day for everyone,” she said of Canada Day. “I love my country.”

Abalulesa said she has been participating in Canada Day events since she immigrated here from Ethiopia four years ago.

Patrick Detchoua bought a red baseball cap and a Canada-branded jersey to mark his first Canada Day in the country. Sitting on the lawn of the legislature with his family, as Cameroonian pop music played from a nearby speaker, Detchoua said he was looking forward to the fireworks and drone show later in the evening.

Many passersby have heard about the drone show, but the 200 drones responsible for the seven-minute light show had not yet arrived at the launch point at Peter Pollen Waterfront Park near Belleville Street on Monday afternoon.

Those involved in the show were not available for interview.

City spokeswoman Colleen Mycroft said organizers expected up to 50,000 people to turn out at the Inner Harbor Monday night for the drone show and fireworks display.

In Langford, about 3,000 people attended Canada Day celebrations at Starlight Stadium.

In the morning, participants formed a line that extended beyond the parking lot and onto the pedestrian path connecting Glen Lake Road and Langford Parkway.

Councillor Keith Yacucha said this year's celebrations were the largest Langford has seen since the city began seriously organizing Canada Day celebrations three years ago.

West Shore residents don't necessarily need to go to Victoria to party and can stay closer to home, Yacucha said.

“We're really just investing in bringing community events here to the West Shore, to Langford, for our families… we're working on expanding the venue, bringing more events here, so people don't empty out every weekend,” he said.

Katty Stolar, who volunteers at the stadium concession stand with Canadian Legion Branch 91 for a popular pancake breakfast at the stadium, said her group had gone through 44 pounds of pancake mix by 11 a.m.

Langford resident Benjamin Ferger, who was at the event with his family, said he hadn't attended Victoria's Canada Day celebration in decades.

“We're part of this community. We want to be part of the Canada Day event in this community,” he said, as his three-year-old son chased giant basketball-sized bubbles with a group of children while his five-month-old baby napped in a stroller.

Festivities took place across Greater Victoria, including in Sidney, View Royal, Colwood, Sooke and along the Gorge Waterway.

Celebrations also took place in parks in Nanaimo, Courtenay and Campbell River.

[email protected]

>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]