Parksville Beach Festival is back this week to showcase the 鈥榃onders of the World鈥�.
Twenty-nine Canadian and international master sculptors will compete in the Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition, which runs from July 13 to July 16 and opens to the public on July 14. Sculptures remain open for viewing through Aug. 20.
The sand sculpting is part of the larger event, known to locals as Beachfest, a five-week long family festival running from mid-July to mid-August that also includes the Tim Hortons Free Summer Concert Series, daily buskers and an artisan market.
This year鈥檚 鈥榃onders of the World鈥� theme had organizers jokingly caution the sculptors that not everyone can do the pyramids, said Cheryl Dill, Parksville Beach Festival Society president.
鈥淭hey are just so creative that they鈥檒l find unique ways to capture that theme,鈥� Dill said, adding the society always asks competitors for insights on theme ideas.
2022 was a comeback year for the festival after a COVID-19 hiatus and this summer Dill feels they have moved past the pandemic difficulties.
鈥淚n the planning phase it really hasn鈥檛 come up about, you know, travel concerns, are we going to be able to get people here because of the protocols,鈥� Dill said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not dealing with that this year.鈥�
Two competitors fell ill shortly before the competition last year and had to drop out, but this year they will have the maximum 29 sculptors, Dill said.
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Gate numbers were strong last year, with more than 115,000 visitors passing through the gates, approximately the same number as 2019. Community volunteers representing many non-profit organizations in the PQB area greet visitors entering the gates daily.
鈥淧arksville Beach Festival has become a tradition to locals here. And so it really has become the fabric of our local community culture,鈥� said Dill. It鈥檚 a great way for families to spend some time together taking in the competition, attending concerts at the new outdoor stage and visiting the artisan market, she added.
Music will be a big draw to the Parksville Community Park, as numerous free and ticketed concerts are planned, according to Lloyd Derry, entertainment director and festival organizer.
Many of the summer concerts are free, but there will be ticketed events that people can attend to help the society pay for the outdoor theatre costs, as well as enjoy some great music.
The Parksville Outdoor Theatre will host the eight-show Tim Hortons Free Summer Concert Series on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.
And of course, the 鈥楻ock the Park鈥� music festival will be back for its second year Aug. 11 to Aug. 13.
鈥淲e have 10 world class tribute bands,鈥� Derry said. 鈥淟ots of exciting stuff there.鈥�
One standout is sure to be Darren Lee & The Memphis Flash, an Elvis tribute that played a show for seven years in Las Vegas.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a dead ringer for Elvis, looks and sound-wise,鈥� Derry said.
Back by popular demand will be Eagle Eyes, a tribute to the Eagles. Derry said he did not want to bring back a lot of repeat bands from last year, but was impressed by the number of positive comments they received about Eagle Eyes.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e actually going to be our headliners on the Sunday night,鈥� he said.
The beach festival will wrap up with a Symphony by the Sea concert by the Vancouver Island Symphony on Aug. 20.
Tickets for Rock the Park and Symphony by the Sea are available through the McMillan Arts Centre (MAC), both online and in-person. Tickets will be available at the gate, unless the events sell out.
Rock the Park tickets are $40 for a day pass or $75 for a three-day pass, Derry said.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 the best entertainment value on Vancouver Island or anywhere else,鈥� he said.
According to their policies, the society assigns 25 per cent of sand sculpting gate proceeds to community projects and philanthropic groups.
Approximately 150 volunteers from different non-profit groups will serve as gate ambassadors. The society can still use some volunteers for set up this week and take down on Aug. 21. People capable of this physically demanding work can contact the society to help.
The society partnered with the PQB Tourism Association in 2015 to research the festival鈥檚 economic impact, using the Sports Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM) steam model, Dill said.
The study, based on 100,000 gate visitors, found the festival generated approximately $18 million in economic impact for the area. A new study will be conducted this year, Dill said.
Since 1999, the society has donated close to $1 million to non-profit organizations and community projects, which include construction of the park gazebo, community signs and the new Parksville Outdoor Theatre.
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