News & Events

Recent events

The Oyster Who Looked at the Sky book launch. Saturday, November 22, 2pm. Garden Café. A family friendly event sponsored by Wildside Booksellers.
The Oyster Who Looked at the Sky (Oolichan Books) is the result of collaboration between two Tofino women: writer Darcy Dobell and artist Marion Syme. This beautifully-illustrated picture book evokes the magic of the west coast while celebrating the natural curiosity of children.
An enthusiastic group of children and adults came for the west coast launch of this new book in our Garden Café. The author read the book and the original illustrations were on view. The official Oyster Festival Mermaid served cookies and the children made their own oyster memento. Copies of the book are still available at local booksellers.

Spartina Workshop. Tuesday November 18, 9 -11:30 am. Presentation followed by field trip. Clayoquot Field Station.  Spartina anglica is an invasive alien grass, commonly known as cordgrass that invades intertidal shorelines. Spartina has recently been found on Vancouver Island. Controlling its spread is of special concern to government agencies, NGOs, shellfish growers and community stewardship groups.  A number of people attended the workshop to learn how to identify Spartina, what havoc it has wreaked in the western USA, what is being done in BC, and how to be part of the solution. For more information, contact the Raincoast Education Society at 250-725-2560 or res@island.net.

Pacific Rim Arts Society AGM. Tuesday, November 18, 7 – 10 pm. Garden Café.
Over 40 local residents interested in the arts in our communities attended.

October 24-26, 2008. Institute for Coastal Research. Members met to discuss future plans for the Institute.

October 10-12, 2008. Vancouver Mycological Society
The Society met at the Clayoquot Field Station for a Thanksgiving foray into the woods to discover many different kinds of fascinating fungi, which were exhibited to interested visitors.

October 3-6, 2008. Milagro Retreats. With a combination of yoga, natural foods and relaxation, Milagro Retreats presents several special retreats at the Gardens each year. Click on their name to discover more.

Global TV in the Gardens, September 25, 2008
Kevin Newman, national Global TV anchor and crew came to Tofino Botanical Gardens to broadcast their national newscast, during the federal election. They visited a number of smaller communities across the country, covering different issues. Here, their focus was the environment. Kevin asked for opinions from several local residents, including George Patterson and Josie Osborne. About 40 local residents attended in person.

Art in the Gardens. Saturday September 13 & 14, 2008.
The fifth year for this event was a great success. Featuring local artists, artisans, writers, dancers and performers, everyone was engaged with all the activities. Music, spoken word, demonstrations of capoeira, face painting and flamenco dancing were all enjoyed under a warm sun. Presented by the Pacific Rim Arts Society and Tofino Botanical Gardens; organized by Pam Lewis with the assistance of many volunteers.

Lantern Festival. Sunday, August 24, 7:30 – 10 pm
This favourite event for families in Tofino brought hundreds of people to the Gardens to enjoy the wonder of hand-made lanterns hung thoughout the pathways by magic elves. Another successful annual fundraiser for the Raincoast Education Society.

June 6-8, 2008. Tofino Food & Wine Festival. The Tofino Food and Wine Festival began in 2003. It was an idea formed between two foodies who worked in the food and wine industry, at a restaurant set amidst the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens. Since then, the Festival has become a destination event for tourists and a popular weekend for locals.