Life’s a beach every day when you live in Qualicum Beach but on July 13 there will be a special event to celebrate the beauty of the waterfront.
The third annual Beach Day will be a full day of family fun with all kinds of activities on the beach.
The day will kick off with a hearty Shriners breakfast at 8:30 a.m. near the Visitor Centre and then move to the esplanade and the long stretch of open beach near the boat ramp.
There will be tents hosting activities, a main stage for the QB's Got Talent live music competition and a variety of games and activities on the beach.
Beach and walkway activities run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and include both educational and fun things.
Spokesperson Tom Whitfield said Kwali the seagull is back to celebrate the beautiful waterfront and a really low tide at 1p.m. and they are once again expected a big turnout.
“Last year we had about 3,000 people attend this family fun event. It is a celebration of our unique town and the talented people who live here,” he said.
Full of hands-on and educational events plus live music he said the day will provide something for everyone.
“The events were initially designed just for kids but now there is something for all ages.”
There are a host of events such as the Catching Beach Critters seine netting with biologist Dave Clough, the VIU Shellfish Research Centre touch tank, face painting, ancient fossils, clowns, sand castle building, beach golf, skim boarding, and beach volleyball.
He said the tug o’ war has been such a hit with the kids so the big rope will be back.
“We anticipate some interesting team challenges for the tug o’ war. It would be great to see people put a team together and see what they can do,” said Whitfield, who added they have also included some new events to keep things fresh.
“In our third year we have added a few new events such as kite building, shark dissection, birds on the beach, sea weed tanks and a beach art contest.”
If you enjoy beachcombing and making art with your driftwood and shells, you may want to consider submitting your creation.
Whitfield explained that the art should represent some object, plant or animal, or groups of these and have a title relating to one of the categories and if they are amazing they could win a prize.
“People are invited to submit their favourite pieces of beach art. The acceptable pieces will be natural, such as driftwood, and collected from the shores of B.C but the pieces can be slightly m.odified. Prizes will be awarded at 3 p.m.,” he explained.
The QB’s Got Talent competition is back with amazing local musicians starting at 1 p.m.
The contest was added to the event to showcase some of the talented up and coming performers in the local area and last year’s contestants were so good, the judges really had a tough job choosing the winners.
Shuttles will be provided from both the downtown parkade and the Civic Centre to the waterfront to provide an alternate parking option.