The 530-seat art-deco theatre on Cliffe Avenue began life in 1935 as the Bickle Theatre, a small-town movie palace. After near-demolition in the 1990s it was bought by the city and restored as a live-performance venue, named after the long-serving Courtenay mayor and theatre champion Sid Williams.
It now hosts touring music, theatre, and dance, plus the popular Vancouver Island MusicFest fringe shows in July. The art-deco lobby with its terrazzo floor is worth a look on its own.