The Tour des Iles Festival (TDIF) is big and getting bigger – and we want you to be a part of it! Our Fourth Annual Festival is taking place June 22, 23, and 24, 2018. All day inter-island small boat service will connect you to Pender, Saturna, Salt Spring, Galiano and Mayne Islands.

Courtesy shuttles, with knowledgeable and friendly local drivers, will take passengers to island attractions, such as art galleries, markets, and natural wonders. Combining art, music, food, outdoor recreation and each island’s unique cultural activities, TDIF is the one of the fastest growing Festivals on the islands, and lets island residents and visitors alike see up close what makes the Southern Gulf Islands a world-renowned tourist destination.

“This is a wonderful festival!” says Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich and the Southern Gulf Islands. “I can think of no better way than to celebrate in the natural beauty of the Southern Gulf Islands. I hope to see you all there!”

The annual Tour des Iles Festival has announced its new reservation system and website is now active. June 22, 23, and 24, 2018 are the dates for the fourth annual version of a festival that keeps growing each and every year. The all day inter-island small boat service connects Pender, Saturna, Salt Spring, Galiano and Mayne Islands for a nominal fee. $10 gets a passenger from Ganges to Pender or Galiano Island; $5 for the much shorter trips between the other islands. Bicycles (with reservation) and dogs are welcome on board.

Each year, Tour des Iles is getting more popular. When it started four years ago, it was put together on a shoestring budget in just six weeks. In 2017, 2000 passengers participated. Now, the 3 day festival is a $40,000 event that has become a Gulf Island fixture. The CRD is the Prime Sponsor. The Salt Spring Island Chamber and ReMax Realty are SSI gold sponsors and Country Grocer is a silver sponsor.

On each island, participants will find a huge variety of activities planned: Music, hiking trails, food and drink, markets, historical sights, water and land recreation. Each island gives its visitors free transportation and opportunities to explore places known only to residents.

This year’s festival will include forty passenger boats leaving Ganges 2-3 times a day for both Montague Marina on Galiano Island and Port Washington on Pender Island. Departures are in the morning with returns home in the late afternoon.

There are free transportation services meeting the arriving boats so that you can visit the sights on Pender and Galiano plus go to other boat transfer locations to catch a Tour des Iles boat to see any of the other Gulf Islands in the same day. Some Salt Springers make a round trip using the Pender-Galiano connection route.

Port Browning on Pender Island has been added as destination port for Mayne and Saturna Islands. As we go to press, a route between South Pender Island and Sidney is under negotiation.

The Tour des Iles website and reservation system may be found at tourdesiles.ca