Music will return to Butchart Gardens this summer with 20 local and regional acts booked to perform through Sept. 3.
The music program has been revived at the Brentwood Bay site for the first time since 2019, though to a lesser degree from previous years. Concerts are being held on Friday and Saturday nights at the outdoor stage on the concert lawn, near where the weekly fireworks display would normally take place. The popular attraction has decided to forgo fireworks this summer, due to ongoing staffing shortages at the gardens.
The music program, however, is included free of charge with paid admission. “It’s a step in the right direction,” said Craig Moddle, manager of arts and entertainment for the Butchart Gardens. “I’m happy that we’re getting our feet wet again. Everyone has been asking when the music was going to come back, so clearly people want it.”
The program gets underway July 1 with a concert by Juno Award winners Big Little Lions. Other highlights on the concert calendar include Stephen Fearing (July 15), Prairie Oyster’s Russell deCarle (July 22), Amos Garrett, Jim Byrnes, and Doug Cox (Aug. 20), and The Bills (Aug. 20).
“As usual, it’s a bit all over the map,” Moddle said. “But that gives us an opportunity to hire a range of different folks.”
The Butchart Gardens is located at 800 Benvenuto Ave. For more information, visit
