‘Cheer them on:’ Silly Boat Regatta hitting Nanaimo’s waters

She said they expect anywhere between 8-10,000 spectators to take in Sunday’s event, based on past years.

Celebrating their 40th year, 36 Vancouver Island teams will start building at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, with the family activities kicking off at 10 a.m.

Howland said the Park will be filled with entertainment and children’s activities from the waterfront to the Lions Pavilion, along with a wide array of food trucks, a root beer garden, and more.

“We have the superheroes coming from Victoria that are going to be running our dunk tank and trying to sink some villains. We have our mini regatta event that happens every year, but it’s always a fun one for kids. They get to build little boats and try and race them in the Pavilion area, and of course, then we have Fred Penner coming.”

With only a few hours to build their craft and no time for test runs, some Silly Boat entries are unable to make the full course route, with plenty of lifeguards standing by to assist. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Having performed at past Regattas, Penner, an iconic Canadian children’s entertainer, will perform at 11:30 a.m., including leading the crowd in Happy Birthday to honour the milestone year, with cake included.

Race heats start at 1 p.m., with the championship final taking place at 2:30, and all the events are free to attend.

“It’s fun to watch them build the boats, get into their costumes. A lot of them have little sing-along songs and chants… cheer them on as they race out to the buoy and back.”

More information on the 2026 Silly Boat Regatta can be found at sillyboat.com .

(Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook

by Jordan Davidson

‘Cheer them on:’ Silly Boat Regatta hitting Nanaimo’s waters

More Local News