LB2013.1.346.5

LB2013.1.346.5

For over 40 years, the Victoria Classic Boat Festival has showcased classic boats from all over the Pacific Northwest each Labour Day Weekend. Each year, approximately 10,000 visitors tour the docks and the boats on display. In 2017, the Maritime Museum of BC took over operations of the Festival, incorporating marine-related exhibitions and family-friendly programs into the weekend’s activities Seen in the background is the Fairmont Empress, formerly and commonly referred to as The Empress, is one of the oldest hotels in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located on 721 Government Street, it is situated in Downtown Victoria, facing the city's Inner Harbour. The hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury, and was built by Canadian Pacific Hotels, a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The hotel is presently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, part of AccorHotels since 2016. It is owned by Nat and Flora Bosa of Vancouver. Opened on 20 January 1908, the Châteauesque-styled building is considered one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Since its opening, the hotel has undergone two expansions, the first from 1910 to 1912, and a second expansion in 1928. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada on January 1981. The Empress underwent a significant restoration between 2015 and 2017, which cost more than $60M. The hotel commemorated the restoration efforts on 28 June 2017.