Bubble burst: Victoria man creating ‘bubble safety plan’ to avoid ban from parades

You’ve probably seen Dave Wilson downtown or at municipal events as he waves his massive bubble wand to the delight of the crowds—especially kids. He’s known around town as That Bubble Guy—both officially and colloquially.

Wilson began creating his bubbles, which he’s developed a special formula for, two years ago while recovering from a car accident. What began as a therapeutic method—creating giant bubbles for himself in his local park—started to attract onlookers.

“I realized that I would gather pretty large crowds,” Wilson told Capital Daily. “People started hiring me for community events, like the City of Langford, municipality of Saanich, and then, again, it just kind of evolved.”

He’s been involved with the Santa Claus Parade for the last two years, bringing a unique offering as one of the only professional bubble makers in town. He signed on to take part in next month’s Victoria Day Parade, and said he received enthusiastic support from event organizer, the Greater Victoria Festival Society (GVFS), which is contracted by the city.

But while working at previous parades, he noticed that kids couldn’t stop themselves from running towards the mesmerizing bubbles—even when it put them in the way of parade traffic. City staff noticed this too, and made the move to ban bubbles from the event this year.

Wilson got an email from the GVFS letting him know that the city’s new ban would boot him from the parade. He agreed with the city’s response to the problem—"it makes sense, the city has to be liable for any potential injuries”—but he felt more could be done to preserve this event highlight.

He had already been thinking about creating a safety plan for future events, so he reached out to the city staff member overseeing the parade. The staffer told him that if he was willing to create his own plan, they would reconsider the ban.

Wilson understands the city’s thinking—a similar ban on throwing candy was put in place to stop kids from running into the streets, with parade walkers now handing the candy directly to them.

It’s a bit more complicated to keep them away from bubbles, so Wilson’s plan can’t be executed alone. He needs 15 volunteers to keep an eye out for any little ones about to bolt into the street or to pop any stray bubbles heading toward a dangerous spot.

He currently has around eight to 10 people confirmed and is hoping he can get the full roster of 15 volunteers signed on by the end of this week, so he can include his confirmed team in his safety plan proposal going to staff. He’ll be giving his safety plan a test run at the Esquimalt Buccaneer Days Parade, happening May 10.

“Whether we make it in the [Victoria Day] parade or not, it's still worth making the try,” said Wilson.

“I do feel that the bubbles add a unique touch to the parade, because it's quite different than anything else.”