Lifestyles

This exhibit explores over 100 years of nightlife, the arts, sports, recreation at home and community celebrations, including Nanaimo’s World Championship Bathtub Race.  Nanaimo gained an international reputation for its annual Bathtub Race, which started as a quirky event in celebration of the centennial of Canadian confederation in 1967.  The race attracts entrants from as far away as Australia and is the centre of the largest event of the summer.   An artifact highlight in the Lifestyles exhibit is a pirate coat – the trademark of former Mayor Frank Ney (1918-1992).