VICTORIA -- The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) is bringing back art and food vendors to Victoria's Inner Harbour this summer, with new pandemic protocols in place.
The annual "Inner Harbour Summer Line Up" along the harbour's lower causeway was cancelled last year due to COVID-19. Now, a reduced set of vendors and food trucks will be returning to the area starting in May.
"Relaunching the Inner Harbour Summer Line Up will bring life back to the lower causeway, which is part of the centre of tourism for the downtown core," said GVHA CEO Ian Robertson in a release Wednesday.
"In 2020, we were unable to safely find a way to allow artisans and vendors to interact with causeway users," he said. "Thanks to the work between our team and Island Health, as well as a year of understanding how this virus spreads, we have found a way to restructure the activation of this space for this summer."
Starting May 1, 23 art and food vendors will be spaced out along the lower causeway, or 50 per cent of the harbour's usual capacity.
The vendors will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until Sept. 12, offering a range of products from one-of-a-kind art and jewellery to snacks like lemonade and mini donuts.
More robust meals can also be purchased around the Inner Harbour, with the GVHA launching a new food truck space at the east side of Ship Point. Smaller food carts will continue to be placed along the lower causeway.
"I am very appreciative of the chance to return to the Inner Harbour after these uncertain times," said local vendor Mike Hill in a statement Wednesday.
"As a 20-year participant of the Victoria waterfront scene, I am excited to bring my jewelry back to the causeway and I look forward to seeing all the folks who come down and support the local artists."
The Songhees Nation will also have a dedicated section of the causeway, underneath the Welcome to Victoria flower garden, which will feature cultural tourism products, according to the GVHA.
