11 Best Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia

Housed in a former church, the Belfry Theatre has a resident company that specializes in contemporary Canadian dramas.

The Victoria Theatre Guild, one of Canada's oldest community theater groups, stages works by internationally known playwrights at this 177-seat venue near the Victoria Art Gallery.

University of Victoria theater students stage productions at this on-campus venue.

Free jazz, classical, and folk concerts; cultural events; and more run all summer at Centennial Square, which is next to city hall. Free lunchtime concerts are offered Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 1, from July through September.

Victoria's oldest alternative theater company, housed in a venue across the street from the Belfry Theatre, offers a range of performances at affordable ticket prices.

This small and imaginative troupe stages summer shows at offbeat venues such as the Galloping Goose Bike Path (the audience pedals from one performance to the next), a workshop wearing headphones, and on the back of a pickup truck in city parks.

Each August and September, a vast menu of original and intriguing performances takes place at several venues around town. It's part of a circuit of fringe-theater events attracting performers—and fans—from around the world.

Watch for music events hosted by this group, which also organizes the annual TD Victoria International JazzFest in late June and the Vancouver Island Blues Bash in early September.

With everything from solo performances to chamber music concerts to full-scale orchestral works, the Victoria Symphony has something for everyone. Watch for Symphony Splash on the first Sunday in August, when the orchestra plays a free concert, accompanied by fireworks, from a barge in the Inner Harbour.

Tourism Victoria provides free self-guided walking maps, kid-friendly activity lists, and various event listings. You can also buy tickets for many events at the Victoria Visitor Information Centre.