Parksville Beach Festival organizers hope to relocate the sand sculpting competition – but thankfully not far away.
The popular event, which drew in more than 108,000 visitors last summer, could also expand to include more sculptors within a few years, according to a presentation by Cheryl Dill, Parksville Beach Festival Society president.
Dill requested city staff work with the society to identify a new location in Parksville Community Park, as well as options for seed funding.
“One of the things we realize is with our current site, and sustaining Parksville Beach Festival events, the current site restricts us a little bit from growth,” she said during a committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 11. “And even though we host 29 sculptors, we know that we have more applicants than we can accommodate.”
Parksville Beach Festival Society is looking at making the move in 2025, with improved accessibility another major reason, Dill added.
The society already invested in large-wheeled wheelchairs and beach accessibility chairs, but hopes to explore more options.
Mayor Doug O’Brien said he is enthusiastic about the idea and appreciated Beachfest is looking at a move in 2025, rather than next year.
“Rest assured the City of Parksville will do everything possible in our powers to make this happen for Beachfest because we totally appreciate what you’ve done for our city,” he said.
Recent upgrades to water and power services in the community park have made the move possible in the near future, according to a presentation by Graham Gidden, manager of parks.
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“That was sort of the goal, was to make sure that going forward we would always have the utilities available for anything that we needed in the park,” he said.
A new location should also improve the festival’s setup and takedown process, which has become riskier over the years with increased activity in the park, Dill added.
“It would be great to be in a location where that risk could be reduced,” she said. “The other thing is securing the perimeter for the event so we can avoid vandalism of the actual site.”
Dill’s presentation indicated the possible expansion could be a few years away, but a new and larger location in 2025 will allow for more accessibility and movement.
She added the society would like to contribute to the cost of the move as best it can, but the dollar amount needs to be identified in the planning discussions.
The current site has been used since 1999 and the sand sculpting competition dates back to 1982 when Parksville hosted its first B.C. Open on the beach.
The theme for next year’s competition is “Endless Possibilities” and gates open to the public at 2 p.m. on July 12, 2024.
