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Events & things to do In Nanaimo, British Columbia
Concerts, classes and days out, close to home.
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68 events near Nanaimo
Cedar Farmers Market
Woodbank School · Nanaimo, BC
Dates vary, check full schedule
The Cedar Farmers Market features locally grown fruit & vegetables, ethically raised meat, sustainable seafood, potted plants, fresh-cut flowers, pottery, jewelry, food trucks, hot locally-roasted coffee, cold treats, all-natural bath & beauty care, home decor, and so much more!
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Fringe Festival Monthly Toast
The Green Olive by Old City Station · Nanaimo, BC
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The Fringe may be packed away, but the connections, ideas, and creative sparks are still bubbling! Join us on Sept 28th from 4:30–6:30 p.m. at Old City Station Pub, 150 Skinner Road, Nanaimo, BC, in the Olive Room, for Fringe Toast—a relaxed post-Fringe gathering for artists, arts workers, creatives, and friends of the festival. A huge thank you to Old City Station Pub and the City of Nanaimo for helping us keep the…
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Gabriola Island's 30th Annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour
Gabriola Island · Gabriola Island, BC
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Welcome to the 30th Annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour Thirty years ago, a small group of Gabriola artists and their champions set out to build something both simple and resonant: a way to encounter art in the spaces where it is conceived, shaped, and created. That impulse—to connect making with place, and artists with community—continues to define the Tour. Now spanning more than 60 studios and welcoming more than…
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GERTIE Thanksgiving Studio Tour Charter
Gabriola Island, BC · Gabriola Island, BC, BC
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Get Onboard GERTIE for the 30th Thanksgiving Studio Tour on Gabriola Island. Chartered routes will be offered on Sunday Oct 11 & Monday Oct 12; both days offer a half day and full day option. GERTIE picks tour passengers up at the following locations: The Folklife Village, The Ferry or Garden Homes. *Sunday Oct 11 Lunch break; visit Ground Up for a special deal for passengers! *12pm drop off at the village only.…
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Ghost Hunt at the Museum
Vancouver Island Military Museum · Nanaimo, BC
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There have been mysterious happenings in Piper Park… something scurrying through the old miner’s cottage, and spectral sightings at the Military Museum. We need your help to find out what’s going on! Come by the museum to discover what ghosts and ghouls are lurking, and learn their stories. Costumes are encouraged all month long! Ghost Hunt at the Museum: Date and Time: October 2 - 31, all day while the museum is…
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Halloween 2026 | The Curse of Crystal Cavern
Nanaimo Museum · Nanaimo, BC
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Calling all Adventurers! A villain has placed a curse on the museum, and we need your help to banish them! Shiny, sparkly, sinister crystals plague the gallery but seem to be spreading from the coal mine. Prepare a shield and search the gallery for the banishment spell – you’ll need to find the magical sword and sorcerer’s grimoire. Then, you will be ready to brave the dark and enter the crystal cavern to lay your…
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Haunted Nanaimo Lantern Tours 2026
Nanaimo Museum · Nanaimo, BC
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Lantern Tours are BACK for 2026! Select evenings, October 2-30, 2026 Brave the dark and the dearly departed this October in Nanaimo! Join us for a Haunted Nanaimo Lantern Tour for tales of mysterious apparitions, spooky locations, and objects that seem to have a mind of their own. On select evenings in October, join us for this mostly outdoor walking tour of downtown to hear about the darker side of Nanaimo’s…
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Island Roots Farmers' Market
Beban Park Complex · Nanaimo, BC
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Join us each Wednesday in Beban Park for a vibrant market where fresh, local products meet community spirit! Explore a delightful array of fruits and vegetables (in season), meat, eggs, preserves, artisanal baking, soaps, and specialty goods from our region's best farmers and artisans. Come and meet your local farmers and producers. Bring your friends and family to enjoy an afternoon filled with delicious flavours,…
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McNab's Corn Maze & Produce Farm
McNabs Corn Maze & Produce Farm · Yellow Point, BC
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The McNabs are excited to open up the Corn Maze once again for the 2026 season starting on Tuesday, September 15th. We will be open 7 days a week, from 10am until 5pm daily, until our final day on Halloween (October 31st). Tickets available at the gate Once again we’ll be selling our corn maze tickets at the entrance gate. Rates are listed on the corn maze page. Corn maze details For more information about the 2026…
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Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival
Maffeo Sutton Park · Nanaimo, BC
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The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival is hosted at Maffeo Sutton Park July 11-12. The festival is a provincial event with an estimated attendance of 400 people.
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Pokémon Club
3200 N Island Hwy, Nanaimo, BC V9T 1W1 · Nanaimo, BC
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Join us on the last Wednesday of the month for an introduction to the Pokémon Trading Card Game! From 3-5pm, drop in to the Wellington Library for a beginner game tutorials and other fun Pokémon-themed activities. Open to children aged 6-14, caregiver participation required. Ideal for families who have been collecting cards but want to try playing the game they are designed for! Materials generously supplied by the…
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Sunday Blues Jam
The Queens · Nanaimo, BC
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The best Sunday blues jam by The Nanaimo Blues Society. Different host band every week. Doors open at 2:00pm. Music starts 3:00pm to 7:00 PM
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Westwood Lake Dragon Boat Regatta
Westwood Lake Park · Nanaimo, BC
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The Westwood Lake Dragon Boat Regatta is an annual provincial event hosted at Westwood Lake, July 18-19. The event is estimated to attract 880 attendees.
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Belt Making Workshop
Black Rabbit Kitchen · Nanaimo, BC
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Learn the basics of leatherwork and craft your own belt. You'll come away with a beautiful handmade belt from high-quality English Bridle leather and your choice of silver or gold hardware. The belt is 1.5" wide and you will also have the option to personalize it with stamps. All skill levels welcome. Only 10 spots available.
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A Taste of Halloween - The Orangutan Project Benefit Concert
St. Andrew's United Church · Nanaimo, BC
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Come enjoy a night of exciting jazz music and tap, jazz and ballet dance at ‘A Taste of Halloween’, featuring the outstanding Teighan Couch Jazz Trio and the much-loved Nanaimo Harbour Dance. This special event, held to benefit conservation efforts of The Orangutan Project, whose Canadian chapter is here in BC, will be on Friday, October 16, at St Andrew’s United Church, 315 Fitzwilliam St. at 7 pm. Tickets, $35…
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Faith, Land, & Footsteps: Supporting the Work of Reconciliation
Snuneymuxw Recreation & Wellness Centre · Nanaimo, BC
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Join Jodi Spargur, author of Mend, for a conversation on repairing and building new relationships with Indigenous People and communities.
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Faith, Land, & Footsteps: Supporting the Work of Reconciliation
Recreation & Wellness Centre on Snuneymuxw Territory · Nanaimo, BC
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TICKETS- $15 PER PERSON ON EVENTBRITE https://MendNanaimo2026. eventbrite.ca OR EMAIL US @ circle.of.friends.nanaimo.bc@ gmail.com Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the presentation beginning at 6:00 p.m. and concluding at 8:00 p.m. We warmly invite you to join us on Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Recreation and Wellness Centre on Snuneymuxw Territory (1145 Totem Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9R 1H1), for an evening of learning,…
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Nautical Disaster - Tragically Hip Tribute - Live at The Queens
The Queen's · Nanaimo, BC
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Join us at Nanaimo's best live music venue for a night of yer favourite big hits and deep cuts performed by Canada's most authentic Tragically Hip tribute act. Nautical Disaster has become a household name with Hip fans in western Canada, earning spots on some of the region’s biggest stages, including opening for Big Sugar and Trooper at the Great Canadian Bash and closing the Laketown Ranch stage following…
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Zonta Presents : Retro Dance Party | Live Music, Dinner & Dance Fundraiser
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256 · Nanaimo, BC
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Groove through the Decades - One Night. Endless Hits. Big Impact. Zonta Club of Nanaimo presents an evening of Dinner, Dancing & Live Music. The music you know from the 70's, 80's & 90's brought to you by The Melody Kings from White Rock, BC. Join us at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #256 on Oct 16, 2026. Doors open at 5:30pm, ticket price includes a burger, salad & a drink, AND a $25 tax reciept from the NRGH…
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Vancouver Island Safety Conference - BC Forest Safety Council
Vancouver Island Conference Centre · Nanaimo, BC
Dates vary, check full schedule
The Vancouver Island Safety Conference will be hosted October 16-17, 2026 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. This event will attract and estimated 300 attendees.
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Arabian Nights - Vancouver Island Symphony
The Port Theatre · Nanaimo, BC
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PRE-CONCERT TALK 6:30PM CONCERT 7:30PM GUEST CONDUCTOR: Jonathan Girard Featuring our new Concertmaster, Joan Blackman, this concert begins in a combustion of rhythm and light, taking the audience on an inspirational journey, including one of Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular works, Scheherazade, inspired by the Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights. Programme: LOUIE: Music for a Celebration BRAHMS: Variations…
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Vancouver Island Community Day - The Science of Sound
Courtyard By Marriott Nanaimo · Nanaimo, BC
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Musical Instrument Zoo • Experiments • Meet a Musician • Meet a Scientist This FREE community event invites children ages 5 & up to enjoy a day of hands‑on music and science exploration, experimentation and fun. Join the Vancouver Island Symphony and Nanaimo Science at Country Club Centre, where kids can try an instrument of the orchestra, build their own, meet a scientist, meet a musician, experiment with the…
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Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit
Vancouver Island Conference Centre · Nanaimo, BC
Dates vary, check full schedule
The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit will be hosted October 20-23, 2026 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. This event will attract and estimated 500 attendees.
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Mōnad
OV Arts Centre · Nanaimo, BC
Time on the event website
Mōnad brings the power and history of hip hop to the stage in a captivating fusion of dance, sound and culture. Created by acclaimed Quebec choreographer Alexandra “Spicey” Landé, the work explores the connections between body, movement and hip hop through dynamic choreography and live musical collaboration with producer and MC Jai Nitai Lotus. 📅 October 21, 2026 | 7:30 PM 📍 OV Arts Centre, 25 Victoria Rd, Nanaimo…
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