Entertainment falls from the sky and the lights of the midway return as Buccaneer Days lands in Esquimalt this weekend.
A skydiver demonstration wraps up the three-day affair Sunday after the fun gets underway Friday.
The annual Esquimalt family event dates back to 1939, when the township began holding a May Queen celebration. This evolved into Esquimalt Days and eventually, in 1966, became Buccaneer Days.
The town turned out in naval and pirate attire, vying for prizes for the best costume. Residents were also awakened at an early hour by a loudspeaker mounted atop a van calling “wakey, wakey!”
More than 20 community organizations take part in the annual festivities that fill the Archie Browning Sport Centre and adjacent Bullen Park from May 12 to 14.
Friday events kick off at noon with a seniors barbecue and the midway kicks into gear at 3 p.m., closing at 11. It reopens Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Saturday’s parade starts at 10 a.m. rolling down Esquimalt Road from Dominon to Admirals. Road closures for the parade include all roads crossing Esquimalt Road as well as Old Esquimalt Road, Viewfield, Fairview and Domino roads from 9:45 a.m. to noon.
A community dance at the curling rink rounds out Saturday events from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday wraps with skydivers from 3 to 4 p.m. and the midway closing at 6.
Find the full schedule online at esquimaltbuccaneerdays.ca.
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christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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