Sidney residents who hop on their bikes could win whale watching tours, ferry trips, and other prizes as GoByBike Week rolls into the Saanich Peninsula from May 30 to June 5, 2026. The Town of Sidney and Capital Bike are hosting two celebration stations, with Sidney’s event happening Thursday, June 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Beacon Avenue and Fifth Street, right alongside the first Sidney Street Market of the summer.
At the celebration stations, anyone can drop by for free snacks, drinks, and family-friendly activities. Riders can also enter to win prizes donated by local businesses, including whale watching tours from Sidney Whale Watching, a company owned by the Tsawout First Nation that has operated out of Sidney for over 20 years. Other prizes up for grabs include ferry trips, a new bike, hotel stays, restaurant gift cards, BC Transit monthly passes, and cycling gear.
During GoByBike Week, BC Transit will let anyone ride the bus for free if they are carrying a bike helmet or using a bus bike rack. The idea is to make it easier for people to combine cycling with transit for their daily trips. A celebration station in Central Saanich kicks things off on Saturday, May 30, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. along the Lochside Regional Trail at Mount Newton Cross Road.
GoByBike Week started in Greater Victoria back in 1995 as Bike to Work Week, with about 500 riders taking part. Now in its 31st year, the event has grown province-wide. In 2024 alone, more than 60,000 British Columbians logged over 10 million kilometres by bike, keeping an estimated 2.24 million kilograms of CO2 out of the air.
Along with the celebration stations, the Town of Sidney runs a free Bike Valet at the Sidney Street Market every Thursday evening at 9813 Fourth Street. Run in partnership with Capital Bike, the valet lets cyclists leave their bikes with a staff member who watches over them while they enjoy the market, which runs from June 4 to September 10, 2026. More details about GoByBike Week are available from Radhika Singh, Climate Action Planning Technician with the Town of Sidney, at 250-655-5442 or [email protected].
