Looking for images of British Columbia’s beautiful Cowichan Valley? You have come to the right place. Kevin Oke Photography has over 80,000 photographs available of the Cowichan Valley and the surrounding areas. From wooden boats to spectacular aerial photographs we can provide you with what you are looking for. Posters, screensavers and art prints are available as well. Can’t find what you want? Please The Cowichan Valley is blessed with amazing events troughout the year. From many music festivals during the summer to Christmas festivities there’s always something to do. Here’s my “Top Ten”.
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Top Ten Events in the Cowichan Valley
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 Cow at the Cobble Hill Fall Fair, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Cobble Hilll Fall Fair – The Cobble Hill Fall Fair is the real deal. Forget the tacky stuff you saw as a kid in Los Angeles, this is it! Best cow competitions, the most perfect chicken, make your zucchini into a person, throw strew bales and listen to good ole music. Can’t get any better. The best bang for the buck in the Cowichan Valley. |
 Midway at the Cowichan Exhibition, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Cowichan Exhibition – Want a little bit of excitement? Head to the Cowichan Exhibition. Everything is here from tractor pulls to beautiful women selling their unfortunate cows to the slaughter house. The rides are the ones you read about in the papers “Loose bolt falls out, two injured” Cool stuff. Eat cotton candy, look at the prize winning rabbit, you get the idea. See you ther! |
 Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Ladysmith Festival of Lights – Over 200,000 Christmas lights in Ladysmith add to global warming. Is this bad? Personally I don’t think so. This festival ranks as one of the best “feel good” deals of the year in the Cowichan Valley… and it’s free! The kids have a good time, the lights are fabulous and the fireworks are, well, totally awesome! Over 15,000 people turn up for the light up and parade, way to go Ladysmith! |
 Islands Folk Festival, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Islands Folk Festival – Good music in a perfect setting. The Islands Folk Festival is dedicated to providing this and they do a very good job. Held over three days at the end of July, this is the closest Vancouver Island has ever got to Woodstock. Even the smells are the same! Buy your tickets now, summer doesn’t get much better. |
 Maple Bay Wooden Boat Festival, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Maple Bay Wooden Boat Festival – Wooden boats, we all love them and at the same time hate the idea of them. Well, I’m one of the wooden boat lovers as anyone that has followed my ramblings over the past few years will understand. Wooden boats are beautiful, wooden boats have charm, wooden boats are very romantic, wooden boats are a lifestyle. Stop in at Maple Bay Marina and see what the excitement is all about. While you’re at it, have some crab cakes at the pub, very good! |
 Salmon Run on the Cowichan River, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Salmon Run on the Cowichan River – Natural selection and survival of the fittest can be pretty boring if that’s not your thing. Regardless, watching the salmon work their way up the Cowichan River is an amazing experience. You think we have a tough life, check out these guys! These fish do anything to get to their spawning grounds, only to die once they lay their eggs. Coming this fall to a river near you! |
 Duncan Garage Showroom, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia |
Duncan Garage Showroom – Step back into the seventies for a minute, are you with me? The Duncan Garage reminds me of Hollywood back in the good ole days (I actually remember this as I grew up in the area!); funky, small crowds, great music and a true love for the arts. Longetivity John brings in some of the finest musicians from around North America, all this in a funky, small town, cool, down to earth, totally eccentric and very much appreciated little music club. If you are going to do anything in the Cowichan Valley on your visit support this totally cool joint, the best gig in town, bar non! |
 Bathtub Racing at Ladysmith Days, Ladysmith, British Columbia |
Ladysmith Days – Have you ever watched those incredible hunks lift cars, trees and boulders? If you haven’t, you have to check out the amazing CanAm Strong Man competition. These guys are awesome! They roll cars over like they’re Matchbox models, lift logs that most of us would pay someone to cut into reasonable lengths of firewood, move boulders that we just look at and figure the cost of a Bobcat isn’t too much. Unfortunately these guys have many health issues. Something to look at later.On top of this we have bathtub racing! What the hell is bathtub racing you might ask? Well, in the old days you attached an outboard motor to a real bathtub and scuttled across the Georgia Strait to Vancouver in search of fame. These days it all seems pretty much spec, a common bathtub with regulations on what you can do with it. Still lots of fun, one of the sports I haven’t tried but is on the list. Next year! |
 Duncan Days, Duncan, British Columbia |
Duncan Summer Festival - Most of downtown Duncan is closed off for great family fun. Lots for the kids to do, a large parade, live music, both good and bad food, and lots of shopping. What more do you need on a sunny summer weekend.The Duncan Summer Festival runs from July 13-18, 2009. This year is the 30th anniverary, should be a great week! |
This listing would be a lot better if it included dates- when is Duncan days in 2009?
Hi Don,
The Duncan Summer Festival as it is now called runs from July 13-18. Live entertainment downtown continues until July 24. They have a new web site at Duncam Summer Festival. It’s the 30th anniversary this year, should be a good one!
Kevin,
I grew up in Hollywood too and now reside in the Cowichan Valley. What part Of Hollywood reminds you of the Duncan Garage…the Brown Derby?
Hi Hollywood,
I don’t remember if I ever made it to the Brown Derby. I do recall spending many evenings at The Roxy, a pretty cool place at the time. I just got on their web site to see if anything has changed, hard to tell but still looks pretty good! I’ll have to figure out what other places I ended up at, it’s a long time ago.
It sounds like there are a few of us Los Angeles area people up here!