75,000 expected to attend as international performers return to Victoria Day parade

Canada's largest Victoria Day Parade is making a comeback to the holiday's namesakecity Monday, with international performers returning for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marching bands from the United States are returning to perform, a tradition the organizers say dates back decades but has been on hiatus since 2019.

"They are just overwhelmed with the excitement that they have," said Kelly Kurta from the Greater Victoria Festival Society.

Kurta expects turnoutto return to pre-pandemic levels of between 70,000 and 75,000 people this year the 123rd year of the parade.

She says the marching bands play an instrumental role in the celebration, performing both outside the legislature building on Sunday and in the parade on Monday.

"It's alive. It's exciting. The energy and the precision and the accuracy that these bands haveisphenomenal," said Kurta.

Fourteenbands will perform in total, including eightfrom the United States, from Washington, Oregon, and California.

"It really feels like we're back. It feels like the city's alive. I just want toopen our arms and inviteeveryone from around the world to our city."

The Spectrum Community School's marching band has been practising for the performance since the beginning of the year.

Grade 12 student Alistar Dhaul is excited to be marching in front of an audience again.

"An experience a lot of us enjoy is when we're walking down Government Street, and you can hear the drums ricochet against the building," said Dhaul, who plays the flute.

Dhaul says although marching while playing an instrument can be difficult, her favourite part is performing as a team with her bandmates.

"That's something I think everybody enjoys about a marching band. Working together as a group and getting that finished product in front of everyone."

Tourism season

The Victoria Day parade marks the unofficial kickoff of Victoria's tourism season, said Paul Nursey, the CEO of Destination Greater Victoria.

"It's wonderful to be able to host young people in particular, to have them see our part of the worldsometimes for the very first time," said Nursey.

Weekend festivities will lead up to Monday's parade, which starts at 9 a.m.at Douglas and Finlayson Street, making its way down the inner harbour.

"It will be lots of action and excitement around Greater Victoria," said Nursey.