Willows Beach

Willows Beach, Victoria is a beachfront in the Municipality of Oak Bay, in Victoria, British Columbia. Along Willows Beach is Willows Park, where a tea-room is run by the Kiwanis Club in spring and summer. It takes its name from the Willows Fairground built in 1891 and which remained Greater Victoria's main horse-racing venue during the early years of the twentieth century. The Willows Racetrack was situated nearly a kilometre (about a half a mile) inland from the beach, so named because of the willow trees that grew there.This was the site of the ancient Salish Sea seaport of Sitchanalth. Archaeological digs have identified a Coast Salish permanent encampment of several thousand people for generations. The centre of the community was at the mouth of Bowker Creek where currently the well known private school Glenlyon Norfolk School (GNS) is located. This is the site of what is hypothesized to be the main long-house of the village. The latest theory is that the whole seaport was destroyed by the Great Salish Sea (Seattle) tsunami of 930AD.ActivitiesWillows Beach is a very actively used beach and park in Victoria. On summer days the public areas are usually packed with people. Various clubs and organizations often hold gatherings in Willows Park, including rallies, club meetings, poetry readings, barbecues and family gatherings.There are areas where the public can set up volleyball courts and often on the weekend the spaces are filled quickly.Willows Beach is also the location of the annual Oak Bay Tea Party, in which people from all over Victoria participate, enjoying the rides, shows, games, and the parade which runs all around Oak Bay.