The 59th annual Saanich Strawberry Festival is returning Sunday, July 5th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Beaver Beach in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Admission is free and all residents, community members, and visitors are invited.

The event celebrates local agriculture and strawberries through a day filled with live music, kids’ activities, and arts and crafts stations. Guests can enjoy performances from local musicians and performers, and explore a variety of booths featuring local artisans, food vendors, and community organizations.

For many attendees, the highlight of the event is the traditional serving of locally sourced Michell’s Farm strawberries and Island Farms ice cream for just $2 per serving, from 2 to 4 p.m. A limited quantity of Cold Comfort vegan “Nicecream” will be available as well.

For the second year, strawberries and ice cream will be served in reusable metal bowls, an initiative that aims to replace thousands of disposable cups. To further divert waste from landfill, the Sustainable Fox will be on site to provide festival attendees with waste sorting support and education.

Strawberry Festival Event Passports, available at any Saanich booth, offer attendees a fun challenge to complete different activities for the chance to win one of five 10x Recreation drop-in passes by visiting as many of the passport activities as possible.

A new kids’ fun zone will include various activities and games facilitated by volunteers from Saanich’s WYLD youth leadership program, replacing the event’s traditional bouncy castles and inflatables due to a change in CRD policy.

Getting There: In addition to the limited Beaver Lake parking lot space, overflow parking will be available at the large grass area that runs alongside Elk Lake Drive. Extra overflow parking will also be available at Saanich Commonwealth Place (SCP), where a shuttle bus will be running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shuttle will pick up guests near the main entrance roundabout at SCP, and then will stop at the grass overflow lot, and will drop attendees off at the Beaver Beach main parking lot.

We encourage residents and attendees to access the event by bike or by taking public transit to the Royal Oak Transit Exchange and then catching the shuttle at Saanich Commonwealth Place. Capital Bike’s The Locker bike valet will be onsite from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. with free, secure bicycle storage as well.

Visit Saanich.ca/strawberryfestival for more information about the Strawberry Festival including the event schedule on the main stage, kids' stage and vendor lineup.