We’ve just returned back from a stay at Tofino’s stunning Long Beach Lodge on Cox Bay. It seemed like we’d only just left (we were there last month, too), but what can I say? There is no other place on earth that I’d rather be than on a beach in Tofino, taking it nice and easy.

The reason for this particular trip was to take in the 8th Annual Tofino Food & Wine Festival, which – as I’ve noted in past years – is always the coolest and most highly anticipated local event on my work/pleasure calendar. If you’ve never been before, the best way I’ve found to describe it is this: imagine if a bunch of hobbits high on Longbottom Leaf and Old Toby got together dozens of wineries, breweries, artisan food producers and top drawer local restaurants and set up stalls for them to dispense their awesomeness in a rainforest on a perfect June day with the occasional naked woman wiggling her painted boobs for extra fun and a band that plays on and on. That’s what it’s like for me at least. I suggest you go next year and create your own memories.

Between skating the skatepark with a brand new board (weird), watching a Rip Curl surf contest go down in front of our room (a pleasant surprise), going on shell collecting hikes (we found plenty of good ones) and just plain hanging with good friends (always wonderful), we were able to pay visits to some of our favourite scarf spots, including Tacofino, Wildside, Tough City Sushi, Sobo, the Long Beach Lodge’s beautiful Great Room, and for the first time ever, Spotted Bear. With the season now well underway, all were on their game. We had great food within the festival and without, as we have year after year. The good luck flows in this town, and we lap it up. Here are over 100 photos that Michelle and I took to give you a scattered idea as to how it all went down…