A quick 40 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay lands you on the gorgeous Sunshine Coast. Dotted with awesome little towns and packed with parks, trails and oh-so-many beaches, this 177 km stretch of our province extends from the seaside town of Gibsons all the way up to Lund, gateway to Desolation Sound. With so much ground to cover, we thought it would be useful to let you know about some of the cool things going down on the Coast so that you could plan accordingly. Here are five great reasons to hop the boat this way in May…

Roberts Creek Farm Gate Market | Wednesdays 3pm – 6pm @ Roberts Creek Hall | Local produce & products mid coast, mid week.

Pender Harbour May Day Celebration | Sat May 19th starting at 8am | Pancakes, parade, pony rides, local vendors & food plus a big old dance at the legion to cap off the night.

Sunshine Coast Spring Drag Racing | Sun, May 27th starting at 7am @ Sechelt Airport | Guaranteed awesomeness.

Gibsons Landing Sunday Market | Every Sunday 10am – 3pm rain or shine in Holland Park | Locally grown, made and crafted products.

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bar | ‘Art Meets Chocolate’ in Gibsons Public Market has a rep for making incredible chocolate bars and treats and in the warmer months they bust out some of the most intensely delicious ice cream bars we’ve ever tasted. This combo was our favourite but we counted at least 6 more flavours that sounded equally delicious.

In addition to the above events, there are ample beach and forest hikes to get you out in the fresh air, oodles of tasty things to eat, great things to drink, and a wide range of artists and makers with shops and studios to explore. For more on what to see, do, and eat while you’re on visiting this neck of the woods, have a look at our full Sunshine Coast guide here.