Ferry traffic is expected to be busy this long weekend as hundreds of thousands of people will sail on board. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

last chance

Some reservations still available for Nanaimo travellers over Labour Day long weekend

Aug 29, 2025 | 11:44 AM

NANAIMO — It’s poised to be one of the busiest weekends of the year on board local ferries.

The Labour Day long weekend marks the end to the summer holiday season, seeing families return home ahead of back to school and students embarking on post-secondary school opportunities.

BC Ferries spokesperson Cayleigh Marlow said they’ve got a full schedule planned and are expecting boats to be at capacity.

“Typically, it’s our second busiest long weekend of the year, second to B.C. Day and we are expecting to move hundreds of thousands of people this year as we enter the final stretches of summer, so it’s definitely going to be a very busy one.”

Traffic was moving smoothly in and out of Nanaimo-area terminals Friday morning.

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Normal traffic flows see vehicles come towards Vancouver Island at the start of a long weekend, before returning back to the Lower Mainland at the end.

Planning ahead is a great way to avoid disappointment or disruption to plans.

“I would encourage anyone who is planning to travel this weekend to take a look, try and grab a reservation if you can and if not, consider walking on or taking alternate routes.”

BC Ferries’ online booking system showed reservations were still available for evening sailings on Friday out of Departure Bay, however only the last two crossings on Saturday were still able to be pre-booked.

Knowing what the conditions are, by checking the BC Ferries website, is a recommended way to plan a trip, even last minute.

“We have webcams in most terminals now in the parking lots, so anyone planning to travel this weekend you can really be an informed traveller and check ahead and I would really encourage people to take a look at all these tools so you know what the scene is before you arrive.”

Current conditions and more details on sailings are on the BC Ferries website.

BC Ferries reported this past fiscal year (March 31 2024 to April 1 2025) represented the company’s highest ever traffic volumes, with nearly 10 million vehicles and 22 million passengers served.

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