Parksville Beach Festival Goes Wild

The Parksville Beach Festival Society has announced the theme of this year’s Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition.
 
Set to run from July 13 to August 19 alongside Parksville’s magnificent beach, the 2018 Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition will feature a special “Wild Things – from here to the Galapagos” theme.
 
Festival organizers chose the theme as they believe that taking action to improve our environment locally and globally aligns well with the event.
 
The five-week-long Beach Festival will feature international sand sculpting, an art show, buskers and free concerts each weekend.
 
The event begins with the "pound up" on Thursday July 12, when sculptors build and fill their forms. Once their forms are filled and the sculptor feels they are solidly packed, they may remove their forms and begin carving. The public can watch the carving take place beginning Friday, July 13 at 2pm.
 
Judging takes place on Sunday 15 from 3 to 5pm and the winners will be announced at 5:30pm. The gated exhibition will remain open to the public until Sunday, August 19, from 9am to 9pm each day.
 
And it’s all in for a good cause. The Beach Festival Society assigns 25 percent of its gate proceeds to community projects and philanthropic groups. Since 1999, the Society has donated $557,150.
 
In line with the environmental theme, festival sponsor Quality Foods will be giving away two trips-for-two to the Galapagos Islands – one to a customer and one to a QF employee. The winners will be announced on August 11, prior to the Quality Foods Festival of Lights fireworks display.
 
Located in downtown Nanaimo, the historic Best Western Dorchester Hotel is a great accommodation option if you’re heading to the Nanaimo area this summer.  Offering excellent views, outstanding service, immaculate rooms and suites and convenient access to all of Nanaimo’s attractions, this boutique-style hotel features 70 well-appointed rooms and suites. It also welcomes travellers with pets, if you’d like to take Fido along with you.