Barkerville’s attendance was up this year, thanks to a successful spring shoulder and main season.
“We had a really good season this year. We had just over 34,000 visitors, and our spring shoulder season, which we brought back this year, saw 1,215 visitors,” says Stewart Cawood, Manager, Public Programming and Media at the Historic Town. Adding that this year saw an 11,000 increase from last year’s seasonal total of 23,157 visitors.
“It was especially welcome after the season that we had in 2024, with the forest fires so nearby and us having to shut down for 12 days. This year we had an uninterrupted season, which was fantastic.”
Cawood said Barkerville saw visitors from 43 different nations through its main season, as well as people from across the province and all over Canada.
The Theatre Royale also had a season of growth. Setting a new season record, according to Cawood, since the theatre program reopened in 2022.
“We normally see about 6,000 to 7,000 people each year, but this year, we went over 8,000. Reaching 8,471 visitors at the Theatre. That was really great, especially because the ticket sales as well as admissions and donations, contribute to paying for things like the historical interpreters, as well as our support staff. So that was really great to see.”
The Indigenous Peoples Celebration and Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival days in August were also well attended. Reaching just over 800 people on both days.
Cawood says part of this year’s success was adding an extra week to Barkerville’s main season. Now, the Historic Town is looking to add an extra week during its 2026 spring shoulder season starting on May 15, and its main season starting on May 30 until September 30.
“We always stay open for Labour Day and bit of a week after. We saw a lot of benefits this year staying open for an extended amount of time, so we’re going to stick with that.”
Cawood said the partnership with Osisko Development was instrumental in funding the Theatre Royale and Barkerville’s main season.
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