Cascadia Combinatorial Feast Fall 2026
University of Victoria
November 21, 2026
About the Cascadia Combinatorial Feast
The Cascadia Combinatorial Feast (formerly known as the Combinatorial Potlatch) is an annual, floating, one-day conference. It has been held for many years at various locations around Puget Sound and southern British Columbia, and is an opportunity for combinatorialists in the region to gather informally for a day of invited talks and conversation. While most who attend work in, or near, the Puget Sound basin, all are welcome. Typically there are three talks given by speakers who are visiting or new to the area, along with breaks for coffee and lunch. Many participants remain for dinner at a local restaurant or pub.
In 2020, we decided to change the name of the conference. The original name, Potlatch, referred to a ceremonial feast among certain First Nations of the northwest Pacific coast. You can read more about Potlatches here.
The Fall 2026 conference is being hosted by the Department of Mathematics at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC on Saturday, November 21, 2026.
More information, including a history and links to previous conferences, is at the Cascadia Combinatorial Feast Home Page.
Registration
The Cascadia Combinatorial Feast has no registration fees. And we like it that way. The host institutions provide facilities, coffee and food for the breaks, and some support for speakers' travel.
Getting There
Victoria is on Vancouver Island, so a ferry or float plane will likely be part of your travel plans. This page has detailed listings for various services. Float planes and the Black Ball ferry (the MV Coho from Port Angeles) arrive in the harbour in central Victoria, and so place you within walking distance to many hotels. The morning run of the MV Coho should give you time to come directly to the talks if you take a taxi after clearing immigration.
The University of Victoria Campus is located away from the central downtown area. So if you wish to overnight where there are more hotels and restaurants, you will need to arrange transportation to/from the campus (bus, taxi). The number 4 bus departs from near the Marriott and goes to the campus.
Talks will be held in room A224 of the Clearihue Building, inside the ring road on the campus map.
Lodging
No special arrangements have been made for lodging. Here are some suggestions. Many hotels in Victoria offer a UVic rate, which attendees can ask about, but we recommend also checking online to make sure that's the best available rate.
- The James Bay Inn
- It is a 10-20 minute walk to the bus to UVic, unless you transfer.
- Helm's Inn
- Same general area as James Bay Inn. Maybe a bit closer to town.
- Best Western Plus Inner Harbour
- Close to ferry landing.
- Days Inn Victoria
- Close to ferry landing.
- Marriott Inner Harbour
- Convenient public bus to campus.
- Chateau Victoria
- Close to Marriott, but cheaper.
- Swans Suite Hotel
- Lots of character, but try not to get a room right over the pub.
- Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
- On the waterfront.
Social Events
This year, in addition to the social events we're planning for Saturday, there will also be a Friday night soiree. We'll announce the details soon!
Organizers
- Jane Butterfield, University of Victoria, jvbutter (at) uvic (dot) ca
- Gary MacGillivray, University of Victoria, gmacgill (a) math (dot) uvic (dot) ca
- Nancy Ann Neudauer, Pacific University, nancy (at) pacificu (dot) edu
- Amites Sarkar, Western Washington University, amites (dot) sarkar (at) wwu (dot) edu