October 7-9th 2023
Gabriola Island's Thanksgiving Studio Tour is one of the most extensive studio tours in the Pacific Northwest and regularly attracts hundreds of visitors from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and beyond.
Mark your calendar. We look forward to welcoming you for the tour this Fall, during Thanksgiving weekend.
meet the artists plan your tripFind participating studios on the map below.
Address: 575 North Road, Gabriola, BC V0R 1X5
The Preview Gallery boasts a piece from almost every artist and gives you a chance to sample what the Tour has in store for you. Located inside the Nova Art & Craft Boutique Gallery Space/Studio in the Folklife Village.
Gabriola Island, a rural community with a high proportion of professional artists, ranks sixth across Canada for concentration of artists in the workforce. Artists are key to the island’s cultural, economic, and social fabric.
Gabriola is a 25-minute ferry ride from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Click here for the ferry schedule.
You can also get here by float plane directly to Silva Bay on Gabriola.
Visit hellogabriola.ca for more info.
Gabriola’s Thanksgiving Studio Tour has been a success since its inception 27 years ago, and it continues to be one of the grandest art events in the Pacific Northwest. In 2019 more than 900 visitors from near and far enjoyed the Tour Central Preview Gallery.
The Gabriola Arts Council (GAC) has been supporting the arts on Gabriola Island. GAC’s signature events include the Thanksgiving Studio Tour, the Isle of the Arts Festival—featuring ten days of hands-on arts-based workshops and events—and Cultivate Festival, a festival of music, theatre and art. GAC also offers the Healing Power of Art Program, supported by the Kitty Heller Fund, where individuals share life’s challenges through art within community to support health and well-being. GASP!—the Gabriola Artist Support Program, offers financial support to artists for the pursuit of creative projects and learning opportunities.
The Gabriola Arts Council’s future is bright, as more artists in all disciplines make Gabriola Island home, and more arts lovers, supporters, and consumers embrace the great Gabriola art vibe.