Archana Cini
Journal Lookout

  • Hundreds of Defence Team members, families, and community partners celebrated Formation Fun Day 2025 at CFB Esquimalt.  
  • Highlights included performances, a vendor marketplace, RHIB rides, an obstacle course, and engaging booths.  
  • The event showcased the spirit of connection, creativity, and community. 

–

Laughter, music, and the buzz of family fun filled Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on Sept 6 as the local Defence community gathered to celebrate Formation Fun Day 2025.

An annual event held at the Naden Athletic Centre and surrounding grounds, Formation Fun Day drew hundreds of Defence Team members, families, and community partners for a day of carnival-style games, food, and entertainment.

“Formation Fun Day was full of life,” said Leah Pokocky, Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Special Event Coordinator. “It really highlighted the strong community spirit we have here at CFB Esquimalt — you could literally feel the energy and creativity of our volunteers, staff, and vendors fueling the day.”

In addition to housing interactive exhibits and displays by local organizations, the event also included well-loved performances by STAGES dance, Mister Mojo, and a story time conducted by the Greater Victoria Public Library. Children enjoyed the event scavenger hunt, as well as taking photos with stilt walkers from the he Rising Circus, superheroes and Disney princesses from Enchanted Fables Princess Party Professionals, and the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) mascot, SONAR. Some adult attendees also enjoyed challenging themselves with a hot sauce competition and testing their strength against a rock-climbing wall. At the heart of the fun, families refueled with hot dogs provided by the Esquimalt Military Family Resource Center (EMFRC) at an outdoor BBQ booth.

Other family-friendly highlights included guided rigid-hulled-inflatable-boat (RHIB) rides, a 100-foot obstacle course, and a bubble show by That Bubble Guy. Indoors, a marketplace with over 40 local vendors brought excitement to the Defence community with jewellery, cards, pottery, clothing, and more.

For Esquimalt local Sarah Thompson, Formation Fun Day was more than just a day out — it was a reminder of the strength of the Defence community. “It’s events like this that make you feel connected to something bigger,” she said. “While my kid loved the pizza and bug exhibits, to me it meant everything to meet other military families as a newer community member.”

“It’s just such a fun, relaxed environment,” said Mark Jensen, Defence community member. “It felt like a real celebration of the military community.”

Thank you to sponsors Bank of Montreal (BMO), Seaspan, Babcock, the EMFRC, Saje Natural Wellness, Domino’s Pizza, Esquimalt Bake Shop, and the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt Base Fund.