Enchanting mermaids, marauding pirates and other maritime creatures will feature at this year’s Richmond Maritime Festival, which starts Friday and runs through Sunday at the Britannia Shipyards, National Historic Site.
They will be joined this year by Rikki the Rat, a “scabrous shipyard denizen” who will share tales of life on the edges of the historic Steveston waterfront.
Festivalgoers will also be entertained by live music, roving performers, visual artists, stilt walkers, puppets, storytellers, dancers and more.
Children of all ages will learn local lore, and try their hand at a unique variety of arts and crafts, from creating a driftwood mandala to knitting a tree cosy. There will also be lots of food and drink vendors.
Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Britannia Shipyard’s heritage features include a 190-metre long (600-foot) dock, where a flotilla of beautiful and historic boats and ships will be available for viewing and boarding.
This year’s festival will run three full days from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Friday, Aug. 8. to Sunday, Aug. 10.
Opening night of the festival will feature an outdoor evening concert featuring the roots blues, zydeco, swamp pop and folk sounds of the Swamp Dogs
For more details, visit the festival website at www.richmondmaritimefestival.ca.
