Bathtubs won't be in the water for the second year in a row at the Nanaimo Marine Festival. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

out of the water

Famous Nanaimo bathtub race cancelled, hope floats for September event

Jun 15, 2021 | 7:43 PM

NANAIMO — Bathtubs, silly boats and dragon boats won’t race through the waters off the shores of Nanaimo this year.

The Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society, which hosts and co-organizes the larger Nanaimo Marine Festival, announced on Tuesday, June 15 there won’t be any festivities this July.

“With the remaining uncertainties around holding events in British Columbia this Summer, we are suspending the scheduled Bathtub Weekend events for July 2021 including the Great International World Championship race until further notice.”

Bathtub weekend is one of the most famous events hosted in Nanaimo, where racers cram themselves into small boats and race from Maffeo Sutton Park through choppy waters and back again.

The Marine Festival, which normally occupies weekends in July, also include the Nanaimo Child Development Centre’s Silly Boat Regatta and the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival. The dragon boat festival was the first of the three to announce its cancellation this year.

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This is the second time the COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled the festival. In 2020 there was hope for a fall event which never materialized.

We are working with a number of Community partners to organize an event that could take place in September following Stage 4 expectations provided by BC’s Public Health Officer,” the notice from the Society said.

“On behalf of the LNBS Board of Directors we would like to thank you for your interest and understanding as we navigate through what is hopefully the end of these trying times and a Global pandemic.”

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