While the resort towns on Canada’s west coast roll up their beach towels on Labour Day, Nanaimo keeps its lights on
Right in the middle of Vancouver Island, where the ferries dock and the fog rolls in just right, this harbour city stays wide awake. The coffee’s strong here, and the weather’s warmer than you’d expect this far north.
Fall is when the art gets louder, the salmon gets smokier, and the only thing slowing down is the ferry lineup. Nanaimo is cardigan-clad and a little chaotic, but in the good way. Forget your itineraries and your tripods. Bring a few extra outfits and you’ll be fine.
And yes, it’s got a lot of Pride. Not the rainbow-washed corporate variety. The kind that shows up as found family, loud laughter, celebrated PDA, and top-tier vintage shopping.
Let’s take a look around.
Start Your Day In a Cabin
You wake up on Snaw-Naw-As Campground, sipping something steamy while mist hangs over the ocean like it knows it’s being watched. You wander through art studios that smell like turpentine and old books. You find the best little spot for lunch, and you stay until someone teaches you cribbage.
It’s that kind of place.
Artists open their doors and makers open their notebooks. The Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour is stacked with creative overachievers. The Island Roots Market buzzes with real conversations and homemade hot sauce. Nanaimo’s art scene is in the room with you, pulling up a chair and pouring tea.
The people here are lovable in that very Canadian way. But with better boots than you.
Get Some Big Festival Energy
The Nanaimo Jazz Festival (Sept 14, mark it down) is the soundtrack of the season. Cozy venues, big names, easy tickets, and the kind of crowd that dances early and tips well. Around the city, fall festivals, art walks, and artisan markets fill the calendar and your camera roll.
No one’s in a hurry, but everything’s happening.
The Chef Wears Flannel
Nanaimo’s food scene is a little extra when the moment calls for it. You’ll find mushroom risottos, cider-glazed meats, hand-rolled pastries, and cocktails with names that feel like inside jokes. The “stay and savour” vibe here is a real excuse to sleep in, eat late, linger long after dessert, and repeat.
And yes, there’s more than one way to eat a Nanaimo bar. But we’re just going to let you Google that.
Come As You Are
If travel has felt complicated lately, we get it. You deserve somewhere that feels easy. Somewhere with liberated washrooms and full confidence in your personal safety. This isn’t a place you have to explain yourself. Nanaimo already gets you. If you’re looking for a destination that feels like a friend’s house, this is it.
Bring Home a Story
Nanaimo in the fall is a town at its best. The ocean stays close. The fog plays it cool. Someone you just met tells you about the best pie in town and their last breakup. A ceramic mug warms both hands. The gallery might close early or stay open late, depending on who wanders in. You find yourself seen without trying. Nothing’s curated, and that’s the charm. Even the loud people are soft here.
Come hang out where the edges are rough. Nanaimo is definitely not a resort town.
Plan a trip at tourismnanaimo.com/experiences/not-a-resort-town/
