The Maritime Museum of BC

Museum Tots - Wooden Boats
2025-02-22 10:30 - 11:15 (America/Vancouver)
This weekly program introduces children ages 3 – 5 to the fun world of museum learning. Each week’s program revolves around a new theme, encouraging children to learn through crafts, play, song, and dance. There is a new maritime theme every week.

No registration required–drop-ins welcome!

For more information, please call us at 250-385-4222 or email us at programs@mmbc.bc.ca.

Please note that parents are required to stay for the duration of the program.

Sensory-Friendly Hours
2025-02-23 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-02 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-09 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-16 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-23 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-30 09:30 - 12:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Explore the Maritime Museum of BC during our weekly Sensory-Friendly hours, designed for visitors who prefer a quiet and subdued environment. Enjoy low-volume surroundings, dimmed lighting, and a scent-free atmosphere. These dedicated hours provide an inclusive experience for all, ensuring everyone can engage with our exhibits comfortably and peacefully.

Sensory kits are available to borrow during your visit from the front desk during all opening hours.

Salty Sundays: Mending Circle
2025-02-23 14:00 - 16:00
Darn it! Mend it! Wear it! Alter it! Love it! Use it forever!

Drop into a special Salty Sunday program with your latest mending project. Learn how to mend your clothes to prevent textile waste and build a sustainable wardrobe, and connect with other menders in a laid-back community circle.

No experience necessary—consult and learn new stitches from a knowledgeable facilitator, and work on your project amongst supportive new friends. Bring your favourite materials and tools; basic tools like needles and thread will also be available to use if you’re just beginning your mending journey.

Behind-the-Scenes Collections Tours: Maritime Safety
2025-02-28 13:00 - 14:30 | Seymour Place, 4000 Seymour Place, Saanich, British Columbia, V8X 4S7, Canada
About this experience

Have you ever wondered what’s behind those Staff Only doors at your favourite museums? Now’s your chance to find out. Join us at the Maritime Museum of BC for a look behind the scenes.

This month’s guide is Clay Evans with a look at The MMBC’s collection of maritime safety artefacts.

About Your Guide:

Clay Evans is a Past Chair of the MMBC who served with the Canadian Coast Guard for over 35 years, primarily in search and rescue along the BC coast – during which time he was the Commanding Officer of the historic Bamfield Lifeboat Station for 17 years – where he organized an international maritime historical symposium to coincide with the station’s centenary in 2008.

Clay is also a maritime historian specializing in the international history of lifesaving at sea and has several publications to his credit including Rescue at Sea; An International History of Coastal Life-saving, Rescue Craft & Organizations published by the U.S. Naval Institute Press in 2003 and numerous articles in Canadian and international journals and magazines. He holds a history degree from the University of Victoria and a Masters degree in Maritime Law from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Clay continues to work in the commercial marine sector both with the Pacific Pilotage Authority and as a professional consultant while continuing to support the preservation of our collective maritime heritage.

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NOTE: This tour is now SOLD OUT. If you would like to join our waiting list, please email info@mmbc.bc.ca with the names of those you wish to add to the list and your phone number.

Museum Tots - Jellyfish
2025-03-01 10:30 - 11:15

Fabric Printmaking Workshop
2025-03-01 13:30 - 15:30, 2025-04-05 13:30 - 15:30 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Join us for an ocean-inspired fabric printmaking workshop at the Maritime Museum of BC, where you will carve your own linocut stamp and apply it to fabric! This hands-on session invites participants to explore the history and beauty of our rich maritime heritage through creative block printing techniques. Bring your imagination and leave with a practical item for your home or to wear that celebrates the ocean!

All participants will bring home:

4×6” Linoleum block carved with a design of their creation

A cotton tea towel, printed with their design

Participants are also welcome to bring additional fabric materials to print on if desired. Maybe you have an old pair of jeans that need some sprucing up, or a stained t-shirt that could be printed over? Feel free to bring those in to print on as well. Please note:

Lighter-coloured fabrics will show your design better.

If you decide to purchase something new for the workshop, please wash and dry it before the workshop.

Smooth fabrics that do not possess a heavy texture or stretch are best for use with our inks. Cotton, linen, broadcloth and denim are examples of ideal fabrics for use. Nylon and canvas are not recommended.

Register Here

Salty Sundays: Paper Weaving Cards
2025-03-02 14:00 - 16:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Learn how to create woven designs using paper, inspired by the historical techniques used in sailmaking. Participants will learn about patterns and materials, gaining skills that connect art with the practical aspects of making sails. Participants will leave with a beautiful woven card to send to someone they love!

This program is drop-in anytime between 2:00pm to 4:00pm, and it should take you between 15-30 minutes to finish your card. You are always welcome to stay longer!

This program is recommended for ages 8+. No experience necessary!

Participation is included in admission or membership, with no extra cost.

Museum Tots - Microscopic
2025-03-08 10:30 - 11:15

Salty Sundays: Rope Keychains
2025-03-09 14:00 - 16:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
This program invites participants to explore the art of knot making, inspired by sailors who crafted intricate designs during their leisure time at sea. In this hands-on workshop, attendees will learn essential macrame techniques to create their own unique keychains while discovering the rich maritime history being this creative pastime. By the end, participants will not only have a stylish accessory but also a deeper appreciation for the craft’s nautical roots.

This program is drop-in anytime between 2:00pm to 4:00pm, and it should take you between 15-30 minutes to finish your keychain. You are always welcome to stay longer!

This program is recommended for ages 10+.

Salty Sundays: Watercolour Ink Workshop
2025-03-14 14:00 - 16:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Brush up on your local tree and forest knowledge in this educational and creative drop-in program. Participants will have the opportunity to create ink postcard paintings of misty, biodiverse coastal BC forest, while learning about these habitats and their connection to marine ecosystems.

This program is drop-in anytime between 2:00pm to 4:00pm, and it should take you between 15-30 minutes to finish your watercolour. You are always welcome to stay longer!

Anyone of any age can join – no experience necessary!

This program is included in the price of admission and drop-in only, with no registration required.

Book Launch: Dan Black presents Oceans of Fate: Peace and Peril Aboard the Steamship Empress of Asia
2025-03-14 15:00 - 16:15 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
A riveting and highly researched naval history of a famous Canadian steamship, the Empress of Asia, and the personalities and world events intersecting its history–presented right here in Victoria at the Maritime Museum of BC!

Author Daniel Robert Black will launch Oceans of Fate: Peace and Peril Aboard the Steamship Empress of Asia (Dundurn Press) on March 14, 2025 in the MMBC gallery at 744 Douglas Street. This launch is included in admission, and free for MMBC members.

A Q&A and book signing will follow the presentation. Copies of Oceans of Fate will be available for purchase in the MMBC gift shop.

About the Book

The remarkable story of how one ship — doomed by war — intersected lives and crossed into history.

Completed in 1913 for Canadian Pacific, the Empress of Asia plied the oceans for nearly 30 years. Built for long-haul ocean travel during peace-time, she saw wartime service as an armed merchant cruiser and troopship before Japanese dive-bombers destroyed her in 1942.

Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, she brought continents and people together, delivering mail and multimillion-dollar consignments of silk. As a luxurious passenger liner, she was a “Greyhound of the Pacific,” braving epic storms and smashing transpacific speed records. From stokehold to bridge, steerage to first-class staterooms, she steamed with a kaleidoscope of lives, including courageous and recalcitrant crew, immigrants and refugees seeking a better life or relief from disaster, drug smugglers, weapons dealers, and the idle and not-so-idle rich.

This is the dramatic story of how that one ship and the lives of those on board intersected during a tumultuous period of world history, culminating in her sinking off Singapore in the Second World War.

About the Author

Dan Black is the former editor of Legion Magazine and author or co-author of three previous books, including Harry Livingstone’s Forgotten Men: Canadians and the Chinese Labour Corps in the First World War. He lives near Ottawa.

Museum Tots - Otters
2025-03-15 10:30 - 11:15

Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop
2025-03-15 14:00 - 15:15 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Learn about the history of sea glass in this interactive workshop and design your own piece of jewelry using locally sourced sea glass.

Community Day
2025-03-22 09:30 - 16:30
It’s World Water Day! The Maritime Museum of BC will be open with admission by donation all day long.

See the Pacific in Peril: Climate Change, the Warming Ocean, and How to Turn the Tide exhibit, complete an Activity Book for pirate’s treasure, and check out interactive anchor and knotmaking stations!

Museum Tots - Water Cycle
2025-03-22 10:30 - 11:15 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
This drop-in weekly program introduces children ages 3–5 to the exciting world of museum learning! Each session features a new theme, engaging little learners through crafts, play, songs, and movement.

No registration required.

For more information, please call us at 250-385-4222 or email us at programs@mmbc.bc.ca.

Please note that parents are required to stay for the duration of the program.

Seaside Chats: Solutions for Ocean Sustainability
2025-03-22 14:00 - 15:30 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Join us on World Water Day to learn more about what is happening in our community to conserve our ocean ecosystems and find solutions in the face of climate change. Hear from two speakers featured in our current exhibit, Pacific in Peril, as they discuss their work at Ocean Networks Canada and SeaChange. Understand the work that is currently being done, ask questions, and learn what you can do to support our oceans.

Justin Lisaingo is the Operations Manager of Seachange Marine Conservation Society. He is especially keen to explore how multidisciplinary sciences and cultural knowledge can collaboratively benefit coastal and ocean ecosystem management

He has worked extensively in the marine public aquarium industry, where he specialized in marine species identification and equipment and logistics management. He can usually be found in the forest examining mushrooms and leafhoppers, while doing archery. He is also highly food-motivated and would argue that marine biology is the most delicious of the sciences.

Martin Scherwath is a Senior Staff Scientist at Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) responsible for geophysical experiments in the fields of gas hydrates, seabed dynamics, and geological carbon storage. Martin holds an M.Sc. from Leeds University and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. He joined ONC in 2011 and was appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria.

In celebration of World Water Day, the Maritime Museum of BC will be open by donation from 9:30am to 4:30pm. By registering for this event, you can enjoy the Museum any time before or after Seaside Chats.

Registration is optional but strongly encouraged.

REGISTER HERE

Salty Sundays: Linocut Printmaking Workshop
2025-03-23 14:00 - 16:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
An educational and creative drop-in workshop that teaches participants how to create linocut bookmark/postcard prints, while learning about Salish Sea animals and the environmental risk factors that threaten their lives and ecosystems. No experience is necessary. Drop in and start creating!

This program is included in admission or membership, and does not require registration.

Behind-the-Scenes Collections Tours: Flags
2025-03-28 13:00 - 14:30 | Seymour Place, 4000 Seymour Place, Saanich, British Columbia, V8X 4S7, Canada
About this experience

Ever wondered what lies beyond the Staff Only doors at your favorite museums? Now’s your chance to take a peek! Join us at the Maritime Museum of BC for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look.

This month’s guide is Jamie Webb with a look at the MMBC’s large collection of flags.

About Your Guide:

Jamie Webb is a third-generation Victorian whose grandfather sailed in the famed clipper Thermopylae in the 1890s. In 1988, he completed a four-year apprenticeship in Rigging and Sailmaking, later earning a BComm in entrepreneurial management at Royal Roads University.

For 14 years, Jamie and his wife Chantal owned and operated the Flag Shop, a downtown retail and manufacturing business.

He has served on the boards of the MMBC Society and Foundation, the Navy League of Canada, and the Beacon Hill Little League. A founding Director of the Victoria Tall Ships Society, Jamie played a key role in the 2005 Tall Ship festival in Victoria. In 2010, he co-founded the Victoria Classic Boat Society to ensure the long-term viability of the Classic Boat Festival.

Jamie also worked for the Royal Canadian Navy for 20 years, serving as their Senior Protocol Officer. He has been a naval reserve officer and an instructor with the Sea Cadet programme since 1983.

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Participants should meet in the lobby of 4000 Seymour Place at 1 pm on Friday, March 28th. The tour will take place from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm.

Tours are limited to six participants and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance.

Register Here

Museum Tots - Clam Gardens
2025-03-29 10:30 - 11:15 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada

The Weird, the Wacky, the Wonderful - Family Intertidal Exploration
2025-03-30 09:30 - 11:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
In this casual intertidal exploration, get an up-close visit with our weird, wacky, and wonderful coastal neighbours! Then consider the complex balance between non-living and living (including humans!) in healthy ecosystems, explore the impact of weather and climate disturbances, and discuss how we, as a community, can make positive and impactful choices in our everyday lives.

Meet Your Instructor, Stephanie Chong:For over 16 years, environmental educator Stephanie Chong (she/her) has coordinated learning and education opportunities at museums and science centres in Canada and the United States. She believes strongly in encouraging curiosity, a joy of being outdoors, and a communal understanding of environmental responsibility. In her spare time, you’ll likely find her wandering around the intertidal zone looking for wiggly creatures. Stephanie is originally from the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (“Vancouver”) and has been fortunate to call the traditional territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples her home for the past three years.

Register Here

Salty Sundays: Collage
2025-03-30 14:00 - 16:00 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
Join us to explore collage as an artistic medium while embracing a zero-waste philosophy. Participants can discover how to create stunning collages using recycled materials and fostering a sustainable approach to artmaking. Unleash your creativity and make art that cares for the planet!

Closure: Exhibit Changeover
2025-03-31 00:00 - 2025-04-03 23:59 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
The Maritime Museum of BC will be closed to the public for our exhibit changeover.

We will reopen on April 4, 2025 with our brand new exhibit:

The Marine Art of John Horton: From Nine to Ninety

Exhibit Opening: The Marine Art of John Horton: From Nine to Ninety
2025-04-04 00:00 - 23:59 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
The Maritime Museum of BC is thrilled to announce the opening of the retrospective exhibition of marine paintings by John Horton, titled: The Marine Art of John Horton: from Nine to Ninety. It will run from 4 April – 1 June 2025, filling the museum’s entire gallery at 744 Douglas Street with works exemplifying Horton’s signature detail and unmatched historical accuracy.

John Horton is a noted maritime artist and founding member of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists, a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Honourable Company of Master Mariners of Canada, the Royal Naval Sailing Association and a lifeboat commander with the Canadian Lifeboat Institution. He is a recipient of the Order of British Columbia.

You can find more of his celebrated marine art and read his full biography here: https://johnhorton.ca/

Plan your visit

Museum Tots - Lighthouses
2025-04-05 10:30 - 11:15 | The Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3M6, Canada
