Victoria’s Chinatown is trading quiet alleyways for lion roars and drumbeats on Sunday.
Awakening Chinatown is back May 25, bringing Victoria’s historic Chinatown to life with a five-and-a-half-hour celebration of culture, community, and connection.
The free event runs from 12-5:30 p.m. on and around lower Fisgard Street, marking the final Sunday of Asian Heritage Month.
Founded in 1858, Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada. And every May, its stories come alive – through music, art, food and community spirit.
“This is your chance to find your fortune for the year,” said Grace Wong Sneddon, chair of the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society (VCMS), which organizes the annual festival. “It’s fun, it’s interactive, and it’s meaningful. There’s so much to see, taste, and learn.”
Now in its fourth year, Awakening Chinatown was born from pandemic hardship. In the aftermath of COVID-19, the VCMS noticed a sharp decline in business activity in the district and wanted to do something about it.
“Chinatown was really having a hard time,” Wong Sneddon said. “The streets were quiet. Business owners were struggling. For many of us on the board, this community is personal – we grew up here, our families shopped here, ate here. We needed to find a way to bring people back.”
“We believe that learning together makes us a more inclusive community,” Wong Sneddon added. “This isn’t about one culture teaching another – it’s about growing together.”
This year’s lineup blends the traditional and the contemporary: Chinese opera, drumming, dance, and calligraphy share the stage with hip hop, harp and cello performances.
Visitors can expect fortune telling, hands-on arts and crafts, cultural exhibits, and storytelling sessions.
At the heart of it all is a sense of pride and purpose.
Jane Morrow, a longtime member of a local Victoria Chinese Opera club, performing Sunday, said events like these are vital to keeping Chinese culture alive in the next generation.
“We want to show people our unique costumes, makeup, and art form,” Morrow said. “We treasure our traditional culture, and we want to share it, just like any other group in Canada.”
Morrow’s group has been performing since 2014 and hopes their presence at events like Awakening Chinatown will inspire young people to carry the torch forward.
“We’re getting older,” she said with a smile. “So one day, we hope some younger ones will continue the tradition.”
That sense of passing stories along – whether through opera, exhibits, or conversations – runs through the entire event.
“We’ve been in Victoria for over 130 years,” Wong Sneddon said. “There’s so much history here, so many stories, including my own family’s. We just want to invite everyone in to share, to learn, to celebrate. To be part of it.”
And if you leave with a lucky fortune? Even better.
