On Tuesday, August 9, the Honouring Peace event is planned to commemorate the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear bombs in 1945 and celebrate peace. This free, family-friendly event will be held this year at a beautiful new location on the Gorge!

As the world’s immense nuclear arsenal has been made illegal but not yet disarmed 77 years later, this celebration of Japanese culture at the stunning new Gorge Park Pavilion (next to the Japanese Gardens) reminds us of the need to treasure & work for peace. Spearheaded by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemoration is supported by the Victoria Nikkei Society and the Victoria Multifaith Society. The schedule for the evening:

6:00 PM Yummy Food Truck and Lantern Making for all ages

7:00 PM Welcome by Mayor Barb Desjardins and Elder Bear Sam, followed by entertainment such as the Furusato Dancers, the Uminari Taiko Drummers and the Raging Grannies among others, interspersed by short comments

8:15 PM Ceremonial planting by Mayor Desjardins of a sapling grown from a seed of a giant Gingko tree standing at the time of the blast in Hiroshima

8:35 PM Participants invited to set their decorated lanterns afloat at sunset on the reflective pools bordering the pavilion

Bring blankets, chairs and come early enough to decorate your lantern (between 6 PM and 7 PM) and order at the Yummy Food Truck . Admission is free, but donations to contribute to the cost of the event will be welcome on site. Signing up on Eventbrite will provide you with map and reminders, at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/honouring-peace-tickets-377660521787