Sunshine Coast News August 5, 1985
There have been multiple different celebrations/festivals and events over the years like the Gibsons Regatta which, we have a blog post on already!
The Gibsons Regatta also known as the Howe Sound Regatta started in 1929 and would rotate between Hopkins Landing, Gibsons Landing and Granthams Landing, continuing until just after the end of World War II. The Regatta would last a couple days as people came together to enjoy summer games, including canoe tilting, balloon race, costume parade, and my personal favorite: the canoe pillow fight. There were also many more fun games, activities, and a spirit of friendly community competition.
The Gibsons Regatta also known as the Howe Sound Regatta started in 1929 and would rotate between Hopkins Landing, Gibsons Landing and Granthams Landing, continuing until just after the end of World War II. The Regatta would last a couple days as people came together to enjoy summer games, including canoe tilting, balloon race, costume parade, and my personal favorite: the canoe pillow fight. There were also many more fun games, activities, and a spirit of friendly community competition.
Canoe pillow fight, regatta, Gibsons Landing. SCMA #4595
The next long-lasting event was the Sea Cavalcade which started in 1969 and would continue without pause until 2018, its fiftieth anniversary. Sea Cavalcade would happen over the course of three days And include many different events, as observed below, such as...
Sea Cavalcade schedule from Sunshine Coast News issue from August 20, 1969
The most spectacular part of Sea Cavalcade was the Boat Blow-up where a boat was blown up in the Gibsons harbour, although it did not always go smoothly. The 1979 Boat explosio created a shockwave that destroyed windows in multiple homes and injured one resident. Despite this accident, Sea Cavalcade and the Boat Blow-up tradition continued on for years to come.
Article from Sunshine Coast News August 7, 1979
For many, many years, Sea Cav was run by a dedicated group of community volunteers led by Gibsons' beloved Conchita Harding.
With Sea Cavalcade ending in 2018, new ideas surfaced on what to replace it with. In 2019 there was the Lantern Festival; but plans were put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the pandemic is behind us, there have been talks of starting something new with Oceans Fest, which is planned for the summer of 2025. We will have to wait and see how that goes as we look to the future of Gibsons summer celebrations!
In the meantime, you can venture further up the Coast to celebrate Creek Daze in Roberts Creek, syiyaya Days in Sechelt, the Halfmoon Bay Fair, April Tools in Pender Harbour, and if you're feeling adventurous you could head out to the Powell River logger sports.
With Sea Cavalcade ending in 2018, new ideas surfaced on what to replace it with. In 2019 there was the Lantern Festival; but plans were put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the pandemic is behind us, there have been talks of starting something new with Oceans Fest, which is planned for the summer of 2025. We will have to wait and see how that goes as we look to the future of Gibsons summer celebrations!
In the meantime, you can venture further up the Coast to celebrate Creek Daze in Roberts Creek, syiyaya Days in Sechelt, the Halfmoon Bay Fair, April Tools in Pender Harbour, and if you're feeling adventurous you could head out to the Powell River logger sports.
The canoe tilting competition at the West Howe Sound Regatta at the Gibsons wharf. SCMA #2297
Gavin
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