Lovers of the arts and all things cultural are regular visitors to the Lower Coast; events like the renowned Festival of the Written Arts, Fibre Arts Festival and Hackett Park Craft Fair attract thousands of visitors annually each year. Dine in waterfront restaurants, bistro-style cafes or downtown locations for a variety of flavours and budgets. The Sunshine Coast also boasts an active art community that is strongly influenced by Aboriginal history and traditions, as well as numerous year-round festivals and events. Urban dwellers will find themselves enticed by the plethora of quaint shops and a range of restaurants. Be sure to visit to Molly`s Reach, a cultural icon in Gibsons, which was the set of a popular Canadian sitcom `The Beachcombers` for 17 years. Gibsons unique setting on Howe Sound, surrounded by Mount Elphinstone to the north, Howe Sound to the east, and the Strait of Georgia on the southwest, you`ll experience the best of the Sunshine Coast lifestyle.

The town of Sechelt is known to be the cultural centre of the Sunshine Coast, host to the Annual Festival of the Written Arts, and of course home to the progressive Sechelt Indian Band. Explore magnificent beaches, enjoy superb fishing, or just soak up the beauty of the area from your own canoe or kayak as you paddle the shoreline. A trip to the Sunshine Coast will show you British Columbia`s mystic environment at it`s best. The weather on the Sunshine Coast provides a moderate and comfortable climate all year round. The Sunshine Coast has a wide range of cultural events, festivals, exhibits, performances and happenings that fill up the yearly calendar. Highlights include the Festival of the Written Arts, Pender Harbour Jazz Festival, the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival and the Howe Sound Outrigger Race. Populated by dream-seekers desiring the slower paced, coastal lifestyle, the

Sunshine Coast is home to those who appreciate its beauty of outstanding marine parks and marshland bird sanctuaries, old growth forest and alpine peaks. It`s a contemplative, quiet environment that has inspired a large, creative community of internationally known artists, musicians and artisans whose creations are showcased in local galleries and crafts stores, as well as in their own pottery, woodworking, and glass blowing studios up and down the coast. These creative elements, combined with a rich First Nations heritage, is responsible for numerous country fairs, art and craft events, and widely celebrated writing and music festivals that brings visitors from all over the world, and help to make the Sunshine Coast one of the most exceptional regions of Canada.