EVENTS
scroll down for CRABFEST tickets
BIG BACKYARD BIOBLITZ 2026
Mandatory orientation: Sat. 25 July | 10 – 11am
BioBlitz: Mon. 27 July – Mon. 3 August
Attention outdoor enthusiasts! There’s a great opportunity to get outside and help nature at the 2026 Big Backyard BioBlitz. Nature Conservancy Canada began this annual endeavour to involve the public in improving species distribution modelling maps. Simply take photos or record audio, then upload the files on the iNaturalist app to contribute valuable species location data. And this year, you can take part in the BioBlitz around the wetland on the Sooke Region Museum’s grounds!
Members of the public wishing to participate at the museum must first attend an orientation session on Saturday 25 July at 10am. There, ecologist Stacey Kinder will teach about protecting this sensitive ecosystem. Two days later, on Monday 27 July, you can bring your smartphone or camera and begin exploring!
Please pre-register for the orientation session by emailing events@sookeregionmuseum.ca. If you are interested in participating but can’t make it to the orientation, contact the email above for more options.
Learn more about the Big Backyard BioBlitz here: https://secure.natureconservancy.ca/site/SPageNavigator/BioBlitz_2026/signup_2026.html
CRABFEST 2026
Sat 19 September | 3pm-6pm
CRABFEST 2026
Saturday 19 September
3-6pm
Enjoy a delicious crab meal and support the Sooke Region Museum!
Tickets are $55 each and include fresh Dungeness crab and an array of side dishes.
New this year – two sittings for the meal: 3:30pm OR 4:30pm.
Public ticket sales are now open! tickets are available online, by phone, or in person at the museum. To buy tickets, click here.
A limited number of tickets will be for sale on event day.
Onstage, there will be live music performances throughout the event.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE & SALMON BBQ
Sun 28 June | 11am-3pm
Thank you to all the volunteers who made the event possible and for our community partners who came to share the day with us.
We would also like to thank the following for their support:
CRD and the Rethink Waste grant provided funding for reusable dishes and cutlery and our waste reduction stations (green tents). Thanks to the CRD all of our guests enjoyed their meals with real cutlery and dishes that didn’t go to the landfill!
Canada Summer Jobs has provided funding for summer positions who led the activity stations, including historic photos, film screening, and tree ring printing.
Photography by Laura Paul at Coastline Living Photography.
2026 Events
more details available for each event closer to the date
2026
Museum Mondays – monthly, last Monday, 6pm (30 March, 27 April, 25 May)
16-22 February – Heritage Week & Family Day
30 May – 8 June – Ocean Week
28 June – Open House
19 September – CRABFEST (ticket sales start 19 July)
24 October – Sooke Spook
PAST EVENTS
The Art of Reconciliation: Survivor’s Panel
Tuesday 30 September
10am-12pm
Thank you! We had a great turnout during the event. Also huge thanks to the volunteers who helped out. On 29 September, we welcomed four high school classes from Edward Milne Community School to talk with Survivors about their art pieces. On 30 September, we saw over 70 people attend the public event. At the Sooke Region Museum, we want to extend our gratitude to the Alberni Indian Residential School Survivors Art and Education Society and Dr. Andrea Walsh.
Sooke CRABFEST
Saturday 27 September
2:00-5:00PM
CRABFEST 2025 — What a Catch!
This new annual fundraiser was a huge success, and it’s all thanks to YOU! From delicious crab to live music and community vibes, we came together to help replace the lighthouse glass panels – and had a blast doing it.
A heartfelt thank you to:
Sooke Community Association
Heggelund Fishing Ltd. for the fresh local crab
Sooke Harbour House for donating the delicious bread
Our dedicated board, staff, and volunteers – we couldn’t have done it without you!
The event raised $5,000 for the replacement of some of the glass panels in the Triangle Island Lighthouse dome.
The event raised $5,000 for the replacement of some of the glass panels in the Triangle Island Lighthouse dome.
Open House and Salmon BBQ
Sunday 22 June 2025
11:00am – 4:00pm
Thank You to all the volunteers who made the event possible and to all the guests for joining us for our annual Open House!
We were thrilled that our friends from Sooke Fine Arts, Juan de Fuca Salmon Restoration Society, Sooke Lions and the Sooke Community Association joined us for the event.
Below are some images of the day.
16 – 22 February 2026
celebrating Heritage Week and Black History Month
Thank you to everyone who celebrated Black Heritage in Sooke at the potluck event on Family Day with storytelling, dancing and great food, at the dance workshop and at the poetry evening.
Sooke Region Museum was thrilled to partner with Sooke Global Majority to host Sooke Black Heritage Week..
The theme of BC Heritage Week 2026, ‘Stir the Pot’ aligns powerfully with the them of Black History Month, ‘Out of Many Cultures, One People’ by celebrating the richness that emerges when diverse food traditions, stories, cultures, and voices come together.
Mayor Tait proclaims Heritage Week in the District of Sooke!
Mayor Maja Tait proclaimed February 16–22, 2026, as Heritage Week, recognizing the people, places, and stories that shape the community’s unique identity and contribute to its social, cultural, and economic well-being.
Heritage is the foundation of community identity, connecting residents with shared histories, traditions, and experiences. Through the proclamation of Heritage Week, the District of Sooke reaffirms its commitment to protecting and celebrating its rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage.
See the full proclamation here.
This year, BC Heritage Week takes place from February 16 to 22, 2026. It aligns with both BC’s Family Day and Canada’s National Heritage Day on Monday, February 16, making it an ideal opportunity to explore intergenerational storytelling, shared traditions and community connections.
2026 Theme: Stir the Pot
Food brings us together.
It links us to the land and to traditions, ties us to our families and ancestors, and connects cultures and communities.
The 2026 BC Heritage Week theme, Stir the Pot is an open invitation to celebrate food as a form of heritage that is both deeply personal and widely shared. From heirloom seeds and traditional cooking and harvesting methods to community feasts and intergenerational recipes, food reflects who we are and where we come from.
Stir the Pot also suggests advocacy. It is a call to spark conversation, to bring overlooked stories to the surface, and to address issues of food security, cultural recognition and access. By stirring the pot together, we not only honour traditions but also create space for dialogue and discussion.
This year’s theme invites British Columbians to explore food as a vessel of memory, identity, and meaning.
Saturday 6 December 2025
11am – 3pm
25+ local vendors
local musicians on the outdoor stage
carolers, cookie decorating, lantern-making
Moss Cottage Christmas & Market is presented by the Sooke Region Museum & Visitor Center at 2070 Phillips Rd in Sooke, BC. This festive event highlights the rich heritage of local food producers, artists, artisans, and entrepreneurs, while enjoying holiday traditions around historic Moss Cottage.
See full list of vendors, performers, and activities HERE.
Sooke Region Museum presents Sooke Spook
Saturday 25 October 2025, 5:00-7:00pm
free admission | food available for sale | family friendly
The event will be mostly outside, dress appropriately – in costume if you like!
Join us, if you dare!
Stories inspired by local history, will be brought to life by Sooke Harbour Players, with spooky poetry readings by Sooke Writers’ Association, and scary dance by Revolution Dance Collective. Guests are invited to come in costume and roam the museum grounds to meet characters from the past.
Have you seen the ghost of Louisa Mary Stiff in East Sooke? She may appear at Sooke Spook.
Have you ever met a mad lightkeeper? If you venture into the Triangle Lighthouse you may have the chance.
We will also be celebrating International Bat Week with HAT (Habitat Acquisition Trust). HAT will have stewardship guides, a bat box display, colouring sheets and photos to help us identify bats and learn about the important role of bats in nature. Lots happening for bat week – learn more here.
Thank you to the Province of BC Community Gaming and CRD Arts Commission for supporting Sooke Spook.
Thank you to our event partners:
Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT)is a local non-profit organization that works to help people understand and care for nature. HAT runs the Southern Vancouver Island chapter of the BC Community Bat Program, where we coordinate the Annual Bat Count, help locate and map existing colonies, conduct acoustic monitoring of select sites, collect guano for DNA sampling, sell bat boxes, and consult with homeowners on living with bats and guide them on best practices for excluding bats.
Est. 2023, Revolution Dance Collective, formerly Sooke Dance Studio, was created. We are located in the heart of beautiful Sooke, B.C. Our mission is to provide all students with high quality dance training in a safe and inclusive environment.
For over 40 years, Sooke Harbour Players has entertained the people of Sooke and the surrounding communities with first-rate theatrical productions, featuring actors of all ages. Sooke Harbour Players is proud to create original, engaging, family-friendly and diverse entertainment.
The Sooke Writers’ Collective is for writers in any genre and our intent is to provide community, support and writing practice for writers in the Sooke region (East Sooke, Sooke, Otter Point, and Shirley).
Thank you to the Province of BC Community Gaming and CRD Arts Commission for supporting Sooke Spook.
