If you’ve booked at the Victorian Hotel in Downtown Vancouver for the Victoria Day weekend, be sure give us your name for a chance to win two tickets to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
For most people, Victoria Day heralds the unofficial start of summer. It was made Canada’s first official state holiday by the legislature of the Province of Canada back in 1845. In fact, Canada is the only country that commemorates Queen Victoria’s birthday as an official holiday!
As Canada’s sovereign at the time of Confederation, Queen Victoria’s consent was necessary to form the new country in 1867. She is also credited with making Ottawa the nation’s capital a decade earlier.
When Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, her birthday became an annual holiday. Though it was initially meant to be celebrated every May 24th , today the actual day moves around a lot to ensure locals get to enjoy a long weekend. (Often called the “two-four” long weekend for a case of beer.)
Queen Victoria gave her name to the Victorian age and countless other things associated with the era, such as dress style (it’s said she began the tradition of the bride wearing white to weddings), cities (including BC’s capital and Regina, Saskatchewan) and, of course, many buildings. She is, after all, the namesake for the Victorian Hotel! The central building was built in
1898 at the time of the great gold rush. The second built in 1902 (turn of the Century) called the “Victoria Block” connected with the first occupying a corner City Bloc.
The Victorian Hotel manages to hold onto its past as well as embrace the future, with large open spaces inspired by the high-ceilings of the time, but servicing all the amenities we expect from a hotel today. It is a unique boutique setup, that affords easy access to all the city has to offer—including the Vancouver Art Gallery!
Raffle Prize: two tickets to the Vancouver Art Gallery
To commemorate Victoria Day, we will be raffling off two tickets to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The current exhibition features Mashup: The Birth of Modern Culture, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s biggest exhibition yet, 3 years in the making and featuring over 156 different artists!
The raffle will take place on Saturday May 21st. If you’re staying with us during the Victoria Day long weekend, remember to enter your name in the draw box by the front desk—or ask us to do it for you!
- The winner will be given the tickets Saturday May 21.
- Complimentary tea and cake will be offered in the Lobby on Monday May 23rd, 2016 for guests to enjoy Victoria Day.
We wish everyone good luck and a great Victoria Day long weekend!
If you have any questions or to learn more, please give our front desk a call at 604.681.6369 (toll-free 1.877.681.6369).
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