Parkside Victoria Travel Blog

Parkside is proud to again partner with the Victoria Film Festival as a venue. Our HD movie theatre with large, plush seating is all set for tonight's showing of Belcanto. 

Here's a list of films showing at Parkside Feb. 3-11.

Belcanto

Friday • February 3rd • Parkside • 7:15
Director: Ryszard Maciej Nyczka
Poland • 2010 • 107 min • Digital
Canadian Premiere

When Mariusz Marzeda, a provincial opera and operetta tenor, comes into neighbourly conflict with a local escort of considerable influence he loses his job and becomes a social outcast. His old friend General Ogórcow, a commander of the armed forces, who is totally in love with music, decides to defend him by dropping two atomic bombs on West Berlin.

By Churchill Foundation Vancouver Island

For several years Les Leyne of the Times Colonist and admirers of Sir Winston Churchill have braved the elements and gathered at the hawthorn tree in Mayor's Grove, Beacon Hill Park, to mark the death of SWC, January 24, 1965 and to celebrate his life.

This year, the Churchill Foundation Vancouver Island has added to the celebration with a Chatfest of pithy and fun observations and stories! The Chatfest will precede the tree ceremony running across lunch from 11:30am to 1:30pm on Sunday (Jan. 22) in the beautiful (and warm) atrium of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa.

By Jessica Woollard

Ah, January... the month of fresh starts and fitness regiments. Like several million people around the world, I’m committed to staying in shape through to the end of 2012—after all, it might be the last chance I’ve got!

I’ve made this promise to myself in past years, along with eating more broccoli and buying fewer flavoured coffees; but while I still cringe at the sight of green flowers on my plate and give in, at least once a month, to the sweet aroma of a Caramel Brûlée Latté, I have found the key to sticking to a fitness plan: signing up for races.

Photo/Tony Austin

This year, we're making the crown jewel of Parkside available for your private New Year's Eve party!

Sweeping views of the city, rooftop gardens, chic design... the Penthouse City Club Lounge is the perfect venue for hosting private, festive gatherings in style. Located at the top of the Rockland Tower, the City Club Lounge features luxurious open living spaces and accommodates up to 80 guests.

Reserve the Penthouse City Club Lounge for your New Year's Eve party and receive a free e-reader. Contact events@parksidevictoria.com for details.    

We are often asked about the captivating paintings that adorn Parkside's front and rear lobbies. Well, guests will soon be able to ask the artist in person.

Salt Spring Island painter Wesley Clark is featuring recent works of acrylic on canvas in Parkside's atrium during a free art show on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 3 and 4) from 10am-6pm.

Selected themes will include landscape, fish and antiquity. Experienced in the local environmental scene, Wesley is well known for depicting wilderness areas around British Columbia.

Guests attending the show can receive special nightly rates at Parkside starting at $119.

About the artist:

Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is pleased to welcome back three truly talented local painters to our atrium on Saturday Nov. 26.

Erica Messing, Shari Young and Jonathan Gleed will be displaying new works of acrylic and watercolour from 6-9pm during a public art event entitled "Connections." Guests can also enjoy wine and cheese while receiving artists' insights.

"Connections" is the trio's second art show at Parkside. In May, "Going Places" attracted about 150 art lovers to Parkside's atrium, which complemented the show's exploration of the environment with its tropical gardens and fish-filled ponds. Watch our video documenting "Going Places."    

About the artists:

Erica Messing fell in love with BC during a family trip to the Kootenays. A prairie girl whose existence was marked by the swings between the extreme heat and cold of Winnipeg, her move to BC provided an evergreen and ever-growing calmness. She chooses her landscape subjects based on depth, light, movement, and patterns of texture and colour. She paints to communicate the feelings she experienced in a place.

Every WOMAN™-Victoria is an interactive and fun health conference designed to inspire everyday women and to promote the opportunity to try fitness, dance and wellness workshops in a comfortable setting.

The day of activity at Parkside connects, supports and motivates women of all ages, shapes and sizes to be active. It features more than 30 workshops in one day, including: Bellyfit Flow, Bellyfit Warrior, GrooveFit, Nia, DownDawg Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Your Future By Design, Red Carpet Walk, Capoeira, African Dance, Zumba, Your Best Self, StreetStrider and more.

Register by Nov. 11 using promo code "PARKSIDE" to receive $50 off. Participants also receive a special $99 rate in a One Bedroom Deluxe Suite at Parkside!   

More than 11,000 people from 16 countries are registered to participate in GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon events on Sunday (Oct. 9).

Runners, local dignitaries and volunteers gathered at Frontrunners today (Oct. 7) to launch the 32nd annual marathon weekend, which also includes a 1/2 marathon, 8K race and Kids' Run. The group celebrated a few of the reasons we run here in Victoria.

For instance, World Champion rower and Victoria local Silken Laumann of the GoodLife Kids Foundation noted that part of what makes the marathon so special is that many people are running for personal bests and beyond.

By Bri Wilson

More than 11,000 people will lace up to run the 32^nd annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon (formerly the Royal Victoria Marathon) on Sunday (Oct. 9).

The race route starts in Victoria's Inner Harbour and follows scenic city streets through Oak Bay to the Uplands and back, with stunning ocean views to enjoy along the way.

Whether you're a Victoria resident or visitor, running your first 8K road race or a seasoned marathon runner hoping to set a new personal best, here are some tips to help you shine this weekend.

Last chance to participate in the Artifact or Artifiction fundraising gala presented by the Royal BC Museum on Thursday (Oct. 6).

Twenty peculiar artifacts from the Royal BC Museum collections – and 20 even stranger tales about the items’ origins – are displayed throughout the gallery spaces. Your task: decipher fact from fiction by determining which stories are tall-tales and which are truths.

CHEK News and CBC News Vancouver anchor Tony Parsons will guide guests through the exciting evening, which includes a delectable roving buffet of fresh local ingredients; select BC beer, wine and cider; and a chance to win fantastic grand prizes. Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is donating one of the grand prizes: seven nights at the winner's choice of Aviawest properties across BC (any combination), along with $200 at AquaTerre Spa and $200 at The Landing West Coast Grill.   

Tickets are $150 each (10% off for Members) and can be purchased online or by calling 250.387.7222 today or tomorrow 9am-5pm.