Summer in the City

May 2, 2024

Parksville is the perfect place to visit in the summer (and other times of the year of course) and this summer promises to be busy with many activities for residents and visitors. Planning is well underway for this year's events and festivals, some new and some beloved summer traditions.

The City is excited to announce the upgrades in the Parksville Community Park are now complete with just a few finishing touches to come. We listened to concerns from park users about improved accessibility, the need for a new washroom facility, and expanded opportunities for unprogrammed public spaces. With major construction happening in the park last summer, we know the experience was not ideal and we sincerely thank everyone for their patience and flexibility. While we were able to host many large events last summer, community events in the Parksville Community Park will be better served this year with the new washroom facility, improved accessible connections throughout the park, upgraded sports courts, new fencing and viewing platforms at the sand volleyball courts, a beautiful new gathering space and improved drop off areas.

In 2023, the City managed 700 event bookings; currently, more than 400 events are already booked at City-owned locations or on City streets. Areas of the City available for events include the Parksville Community Park, Springwood Park, Foster Park, Memorial Plaza as well as many pocket parks and City green spaces. The City provides these spaces at no cost to special events organizers and residents. Many municipalities charge fees for the use of public facilities to defray the associated costs, including increased maintenance such as additional washroom cleaning, litter pickup, refuse removal, and the staff time required to coordinate and schedule events. These costs are an "in kind" donation by the City to an event. In addition, Council provides direct support through grants-in-aid to many not-for-profit groups that contribute to our City’s culture and vibrancy.

We appreciate the hard work of groups and organizations who host community events, many of which are supported by volunteers. Several large-scale events planned this year include Canada Day celebrations, Parksville Beach Festival and Quality Foods Sandcastle Competition and Exhibition, Parkville Community Car Show, Seaside Cruizer events, Quality Foods fireworks and children’s sandcastle event, Summer by the Sea Street Market, and events at the Parksville Outdoor Theatre such as Rock the Park, Tim Hortons summer concerts, Parksville Beer Festival, Completely Creedence and Trooper concerts, theatre performances, and Symphony by the Sea.

Staff work hard to ensure events on public properties are safe and pleasant for all attendees. Our thanks go out to the event organizers who go above and beyond to meet and exceed the City’s special event terms and conditions. We look forward to hearing about your Summer in the City experiences; have your say and share ideas on Let’s Talk Parksville!

For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
communications@parksville.ca; 250 954-3087