Victoria's bike culture will be on full display at the premiere of Biketown, the brainchild of local environmental lawyer Matt Hulse. The music video will be released Jan. 23 at the Victoria Event Centre from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“Biketown is a music video that celebrates cycling in Greater Victoria. It is a parody of Downtown, a 2015 song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis,” Hulse, director of Biketown said. “While Downtown tells a story about life on mopeds in Seattle, Biketown tells a story about the cycling capital of Canada—Victoria.”
Filmed in 2016, the video was produced by Noel Anstey of Quadratic Sound Studios, filmed and edited by Rylan Gladson and features a song performed by local artists Tane Kendrick and Erika Finestone.
The video features everyday commuters as well as local cycling personalities including Brent McMahon (Ironman and 2x Olympic triathlete), Jasper Blake (2006 Canadian Ironman champion), Matt Sharpe (emerging Canadian triathlete,) Victoria mayor Lisa Helps, MLA Lana Popham, and MP Murray Rankin.
“As you know, the region boasts an ideal cycling landscape, a bike-friendly climate, and a robust cycling community, where elites rub fenders with enthusiasts,” Hulse said. “The purpose of Biketown is to promote cycling as a fun, accessible and sustainable form of transit, and encourage our community to continue to share the road and invest in cycling infrastructure.”
Tickets will be sold at the door; $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.
For more information visit www.facebook.com/biketownyyj