Thousands of people gathered along the Douglas Street route of the Victoria Day Parade, Monday.
A sea of floats, marching bands, dance groups, motorbikes and more, travelled through downtown celebrating 120 years of the Island Farms annual tradition.
Kelly Kurta, executive director of the Greater Victoria Festival Society, said overall the parade was a success.
“We finished about 30 minutes earlier than last year,” Kurta explained, adding the flow of the parade was well maintained. “I was really proud of all the entries that went the extra mile to decorate and really step up their game.”
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A few logistical challenges in the morning were ironed out quickly, thanks to the aid of the City of Victoria and VicPD, who got traffic rolling post-parade without any major hiccups.
Close to 200 entries in this year’s parade kept the somewhat smaller crowd entertained. Kurta said organizers saw a 25 per cent drop in attendance this year, potentially due to the live streams available online.
“Either way, as long as they watched, and had a great time, that’s all we care about,” she said.
The panel of judges held court just outside City Hall, where Mayor Lisa Helps welcomed each entry, as it was reviewed on the way by.
“Our judges had a ball,” said Kurta, whose personal favourite – the bagpipes – did not disappoint.
“I love them, they get me every time.”
Reynolds Secondary took the top prize in the Canadian drill team category followed by Spectrum Community and MEI Marching Band. Best Community Float went to the Songhees Nation and the Best Performing Group was declared the Victoria Chinese Community, while the Best Overall Entry went to the Victoria Motorcycle Club.
