Katharine Casey wants everyone to sing the national anthem at 10 a.m. Pacific time on July 1, after getting 130,000 people to do it last year.
The Fernwood woman who got 130,000 people singing in unison across the country on Canada Day last year is ready to do it all again.
About a month before the big day in 2025, Katharine Casey figured she would get everyone she could to sing the national anthem at 10 a.m. Pacific time on July 1.
The event she calls All Together, Canada attracted thousands of people from coast to coast to belt out O Canada at the same time.
That includes Casey and about 50 of her neighbours, who did another Canadian thing afterward by treating themselves to Tim Hortons coffee and donuts.
“For having 30 days to organize it, I thought we did pretty well,” she said this week.
This year, her goal is to get even more people to join in at 10 a.m. on July 1.
That could happen, since word is spreading on both social media and conventional media.
She has done media interviews locally as well as farther afield — including with a newspaper in St. Catherine’s, Ont.
“Also the Department of Canadian Heritage is starting to pass the word about us, as well,” Casey said.
She said she hopes that anyone who sings the anthem will post #alltogethercanada on any social-media platform to tout the effort.
Casey said she has always been a singer and has belonged to several choirs. She loves the way singing can connect people, including singing the national anthem at a sporting event.
“When we all sing O Canada at the beginning, I love that,” she said. “It gives me goose pimples every time, and I just wanted the country to do it.”
Also back for Canada Day is a nation-wide drumming event that has its roots in 2017, Canada’s 150th birthday.
It will return to its usual location on the legislature lawn at 11:30 a.m., said spokesperson Andrew Poon.
Drumming events are also being held in more than 40 other communities across the country, including Nanaimo.
The Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club, which is sponsoring the event, will hand out 1,000 rattle drums, and people are also encouraged to bring their own.
Poon said they can also bang on pots and pans or just clap along. Organizers said they believe in “the power of percussion” to unite people.
Starting at 4:30 p.m., a stage set up in front of the legislature will offer a full schedule of performances, beginning with the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers.
Also performing will be Linggo, Bucan Bucan, Covers in a Dangerous Times and DJ Boitano & Friends.
At 5 p.m., a group of new Canadians will be acknowledged.
The evening culminates at 10:20 p.m. with a fireworks display over the Inner Harbour.
“It’s a day to connect, celebrate and take in the energy of the city,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto.
In the downtown area, buskers will take over Ship Point beginning at 11 a.m., along with an array of food trucks.
Belleville Street will be shut down between Menzies and Government streets starting at about 6 a.m.
Wharf Street and a section of Government will be closed during the evening, with more closures possible depending on the crowd size.
Police issued a reminder that open alcohol use is prohibited in all public spaces.
In Saanich, the Gorge Canada Day Picnic runs from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Gorge Road West, from Tillicum Road to Admirals Road. Gorge Road West will be closed from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Highlights of Saanich events include a parade at 9 a.m. with everything from kids on bikes to fire engines, as well as canoe rides on the Gorge Waterway and art displays.
Festivities in Sidney begin on Tuesday with live entertainment starting at 7:30 p.m. in Beacon Park, followed by fireworks at the waterfront at 10:15 p.m.
Canada Day activities will include an 11:30 a.m. parade and the Slegg Build A Boat Challenge from noon to 5 p.m. at Beacon Park, with teams building handmade boats using limited materials.
The boats will be launched from Glass Beach on the Sidney waterfront at 4:45 p.m., depending on the tide.
Also on the Peninsula, a Coast Salish storytelling event is planned for Heritage Acres from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., along with food, family activities and mini-train rides.
For more details on the national anthem singing project, visit alltogethercanada.ca.