After Victoria’s first ArtisTREE festival in 2024 drew nearly 20,000 people, far surpassing expectations, a second helping of juried art, entertainment and full-on whimsy returns to the Government House grounds July 26 and 27.
“I just about passed out on the Saturday morning as the gates opened,” Cory Judge, co-creator and project manager, recalls of last year’s opening day.
Though Judge is co-founder of the Market Collective, it was her first time organizing an event of that scale. Over 17,000 people showed up to see more than 130 artisans, far exceeding her expectations. “It was a huge success,” she says.
Visitors will find Government House in the Rockland neighourhood, about a five-minute drive of 20-minute walk from downtown. While Government House is the office and official residence of British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, the expansive grounds are open to the public from dawn to dusk year-round.
Judge likens ArtisTREE to the long-running Filberg Festival in the Comox Valley: It’s juried, emphasizing excellence in craft, and offers a “fantastic shopping experience,” interactive workshops, Indigenous makers, an expanded program of live music at the bandshell, and a space where creativity flourishes.
“Then we have live installations of art, performance art and live painters scattered throughout the grounds to give the sense of the magical, mystical whimsy of art,” Judge adds.
Music programmer Nichola Walkden says when creating the program, she asked herself: “How much fun can we have? And then, how can we make it even more fun?”
The lineup features everything from children’s music and Celtic reels to Afro-Latin fusion by crowd favourite TK The Artist and Indigenous hip hop from PINDN. Dance takes centre stage as Red Hot Swing hosts a public swing lesson, the UVic Salsa Club leads a lively Rueda, and The Slieves bring a full-on square dance to the field.
Also performing are Miguelito Valdes Trio, Mister Mojo, Capital City Syncopators, Bopoma, Nostic, and more.
An open marimba jam and Dance Temple’s freeform Ecstatic Dance round out the schedule, reinforcing ArtisTREE’s focus on community, connection, and the joy of shared creativity.
“Some of the most joyful moments come when we blur the line between performer and audience,” Walkden says.
The full music schedule and artist bios can be found at artistreefestival.com/music-schedule-lineup.
The festival runs Saturday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are encouraged as they go towards the non-profit organization running the festival and to Friends of the Government House Garden Society, a group of about 400 volunteers that look after the gardens throughout the year.
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