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By Caden Fanshaw

Tourism

Barkerville returns for 2022 season

Jun 7, 2022 | 6:44 PM

BARKERVILLE – The pandemic was a difficult time for tourist attractions and for Barkerville it was no different. In 2022 the park will return to normal, with the same interactions and experiences for the public to enjoy.

“The opening weekend was great, Saturday we had at least 500 people here,” said Director of Public Programming James Douglas. “Everyone was definitely here to support us on our opening.”

The 2022 season will feature a few different experiences than the largest living-history museum in western North America has featured in the past.

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One of which includes the full return of the Theatre Royal starting in July, and the continued expansion of the Indigenous interpretation.

Opening weekend saw hundreds flood the grounds, which thousands expected over the season. On average Barkerville welcomes over 60,000 guests from June to September.

The big events like the Canada Day festivities, BC Day celebrations for Indigenous people, and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival earmarked for Labour Day will also return.

Since the pandemic, one of the ways the storied heritage site has adapted has been through virtual meetings with students from across the nation and into the United States.

Even though physical visits to Barkerville may be slightly below average this season, the virtual visits to thousands of students in BC and beyond will certainly make up for it.

According to Douglas, the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, unfortunately, did not allow schools a chance to prepare and fundraise for the trip this year, although the hope is they will return in 2023.

The site officially opened June 4 and will run until September 11. Exhibits, public programming, campground, accommodations, and some shops and eateries are open daily.