Treat yourself at the Saanich Strawberry Festival!

News release
For immediate release

Saanich, BC – The 59^th annual Saanich Strawberry Festival is returning Sunday, July 5, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Beaver Beach in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Admission is free and all residents, community members and visitors are invited.

The event celebrates local agriculture and strawberries through a day filled with live music, kids’ activities, and arts and crafts stations. Guests can enjoy performances from local musicians and performers and explore a variety of booths featuring local artisans, food vendors and community organizations.

For many attendees, the highlight of the event is the traditional serving of locally sourced Michell’s Farm strawberries and Island Farms ice cream for just $2 per serving, from 2 to 4 p.m. A limited quantity of Cold Comfort vegan “Nicecream” will be available as well.

“This is my favourite community event of the year, and the best part is serving up this tasty treat to generations of Saanich families who have attended for many years,” says Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock. “Strawberry Fest brings people together to make memories, have fun and celebrate local agriculture – I hope to see everyone there!”

For the second year, the strawberries and ice cream will be served in reusable metal bowls, an initiative that aims to replace thousands of disposable cups. To further divert waste from landfill, the Sustainable Fox will be on site to provide festival attendees with waste sorting support and education.

Strawberry Festival Event Passports, available at any Saanich booth, offer attendees a fun challenge to complete different activities for the chance to win one of five 10x Recreation drop-in passes.

A new kids’ fun zone will include various activities and games facilitated by volunteers from Saanich’s WYLD youth leadership program.

Getting There
In addition to the limited Beaver Lake parking lot space, overflow parking will be available at the large grass area that runs alongside Elk Lake Drive. Extra overflow parking will also be available at Saanich Commonwealth Place (SCP), where a shuttle bus will be running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shuttle will pick up guests near the main entrance roundabout at SCP, and then will stop at the grass overflow lot, and will drop attendees off at the Beaver Beach main parking lot.

We encourage residents and attendees to access the event by bike or by taking public transit to the Royal Oak Transit Exchange and then catching the shuttle at Saanich Commonwealth Place. Capital Bike’s The Locker bike valet will be onsite from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. with free, secure bicycle storage as well.

Learn more
Visit Saanich.ca/StrawberryFestival for more information about the Strawberry Festival including the event schedule on the main stage, kids' stage and vendor lineup.

Saanich gratefully acknowledges the support of our sponsors CTV News, CFAX 1070, Virgin Radio, Island Farms, Coastal Heat Pumps, Silver Threads and Islands West Produce.

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Media contact:
Saanich Communications
media@saanich.ca