Now in its 43rd year, the event known as Beachfest has attracted more than 100,000 people annually since 2015.
The 39-acre expanse of Parksville Community Park is home to the hugely popular Parksville Beach Festival, which gets underway with a sand sculpting competition on July 11.
Now in its 43rd year, the event known as Beachfest has attracted more than 100,000 people annually since 2015. The event runs for five weeks and includes a series of concerts that take place through Aug. 17, starting with a ticketed concert at at the outdoor theatre by classic rockers Chilliwack on July 12. A series of free concerts is also on tap during Beachfest, with Soul Shakers (July 25), Tumblin’ Dice (Aug. 2), and Michael Patrick’s Blues Explosion (Aug. 1) among the performers.
There is also the three-day Beachfest Rocks! Music Festival from Aug. 8-10, featuring ticketed performances by Tom Lavin and Powder Blues, PRiSM, and a series of tributes to Tina Turner, Heart, The Eagles and John Fogerty.
To some, however, the sand sculpting element is the big draw, with tens of thousands of visitors to Parksville in town for the family-friendly beach festival alone. An international roster of 30 sculptors will compete in the sand sculpting competition until July 14, when the sculptures will be available for viewing daily from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Admission is by suggested donation of $5 per person.
The festival — which has raised upwards of $1 million for non-profit organizations — closes Aug. 17 with a ticketed concert featuring The Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy. For more information on Beachfest, visitparksvillebeachfest.ca.
Saxe Point Park is the site for a family-friendly event held Thursdays through July and August.
Stories in the Park features Esquimalt Parks and Recreation staff reading stories by Canadian authors, followed by a themed activity. The series is aimed at children aged 2-5 and runs from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.
The series enters its second week Saturday with a reading ofThis is a Tiny FragileSnake, the acclaimed book by Guelph, Ont., author Nicholas Ruddock and Toronto illustrator Ashley Barron. Other authors whose work appears in the series this month include Lana Button (July 17), Michelle Robinson (July 24), Robert Munsch (July 31).
For more information, phone 250-412-8500 or e-mail[email protected].
Local farmers, chefs, vintners, brewers, cider makers and distillers will be showcased during the Central Saanich Flavour Trails Festival, which runs for two days throughout the municipality.
Visitors are advised to pick up a printed trail map at trail hubs Peninsula Country Market (on Saturday) and Silver Rill Corn (Sunday), before heading out for self-guided stops at 16 trail partners, from Brentwood Bay Resort to Seacider Farm. Each trail partner has a feature offer as part of the festival, including farm tours, tastings, workshops and feature products.
The event is a partnership between the District of Central Saanich and Destination Greater Victoria. More information about the event can be found atflavourtrails.com.
The 19th annual Festival Mexicano runs July 12-13 at Ship Point in the Inner Harbour.
The free, family-friendly event runs daily from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and features live music, traditional dance performances, children’s activities and an artisan market. The event is run by the non-profit Mexican Canadian Community Association of Victoria, which promotes Mexican culture in Victoria.
More information about the event can be found atvictoriamexicancanadian.ca.
The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival will celebrate its 22nd anniversary this weekend with a full slate of on-water and off-water events at Nanaimo Harbour and Maffeo Sutton Park.
A festival-opening event welcomes paddlers to a “fundraising howler” at Wolf Brewery Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The festival was limited to one day in 2024, but has returned to a two-day format in 2025, with paddle races set for Saturday and Sunday.
The Fairway Gorge Paddling Club event is produced on behalf of Nanaimo Paddling Centre and is a breast cancer research, awareness and treatment fundraiser for the B.C. Cancer Foundation and the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation.
More details are available atfgpaddle.com
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