The Town of Comox will be Festival Central during the August long weekend, hosting not one, not two — but three great festivals.
• Celebrating its 31st year, the annual Filberg Festival is the primary fundraiser for the Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park Association. This year the festival will showcase more than 120 artisans and an outstanding lineup of great entertainers including Jim Byrnes, Michael Kaeshammer, Murray McLauchlan and Barney Bentall to name a few.
Bring the kids to the festival and let them explore the Enchanted Forest; enjoy storytelling, facepainting, crafts and more. For a complete list of artisans, performances and schedules go to www.filbergfestival.com.
• The I-Hos Gallery Night Market is held on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 4 to 9 during Festival Weekend in Comox.
The Night Market features traditional workshops, cedar bark bracelet-making and deer hide drum-making.
Enjoy cooked bannock, freshly squeezed lemonade over ice with lemon balm, arts and crafts in artisan tents and wine-tasting by award-winning local Blue Moon Estate Winery. Wachiay Friendship Youth will sell hotdogs and popcorn.
You’ll find more information about the Night Market and the I-Hos Gallery at www.ihosgallery.com.
• Now in its 55th year, Comox Nautical Days 2013 is a free festival of family fun.
Returning are crowd favourites Build, Bail and Sail, the Bullhead Derby and Victor Simonson Dragon Boat Races, as well as plenty of rides and games for the kids.
Festival-goers also have an opportunity to shop more than 100 arts and crafts booths, tour an Orca Class naval vessel and watch an open-water search and rescue demonstration.
There’s plenty of live entertainment including performances by Juno nominee Helen Austin, the Canadian Navy Band – The Naden Band — and many more. It all wraps up with the Quality Foods Festival of Lights fireworks display on Monday night.
For a full list of everything happening during Comox Nautical Days 2013, go to www.comoxnauticaldays.ca.