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Directly from the Parksville-Qualicum Beach Press Release:

Celebrations and Jubilation - All Part of Summer Fun in Parksville-Qualicum Beach for 2012

PARKSVILLE-QUALICUM BEACH, BC - It’s going to be a celebratory summer in Parksville-Qualicum Beach this year. With at least five special anniversary dates in Qualicum Beach alone (and that doesn’t even include Canada’s birthday on July 1), this summer is going to be one to remember!

The summer season kicked off with the 70th Anniversary of the Town of Qualicum Beach. But that’s just the beginning.

On May 26, 2012, local community supermarket chain Quality Foods will celebrate their 30th year in business with a community fireworks display on the beach at dusk. The next day, a Shriners’ pancake breakfast starts off the 36th Annual Family Day, followed by a parade and a full day of concessions, music and entertainment, and games for the kids. Best of all, everything except the food is FREE!

With the continued interest in healthy, locally sourced foods, the Parksville Street Market, as well as the Errington and Qualicum Beach Farmers’ markets, feature local produce, baked goods, hand crafted arts, and other specialty products available all summer, May through September.

On June 15 - 17, 2012, the Father’s Day Show n’ Shine Car Show shows off over 500 cars, which line the streets of Qualicum Beach. This event is so popular it made Oprah’s Ten Best Things to Do on Father’s Day (yes, THAT Oprah) and is sure to please all car enthusiasts.

Parksville’s Canada Day celebrations on July 1, 2012, start with a pancake breakfast and full parade. Community park activities for the whole family stretch throughout the rest of the day, including live entertainment ending with a spectacular fireworks display. The Lighthouse Bluegrass Festival also runs the full Canada Day weekend with great bluegrass music from all over North America, a taste of bigger things to come in August.

Over a three day period starting July 14, 2012, sand creatures and castles will rise again on Parksville’s beachfront as sculptors compete in the Quality Foods Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition. This event is an official qualifying event for the World Championship of Sand Sculpting in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and the creations can be viewed daily until August 19. Then on July 21st, 2012, it’s the inaugural Beach Day Festival in Qualicum Beach.

On July 28, 2012, The Old School House (TOSH) celebrates its 100th year since it was opened as the first school for Qualicum Beach and its 25th year in operation as the venerable artistic hub of Qualicum Beach. Music, artists, and dining will be featured as part of the celebration.

Picking up where the Lighthouse Bluegrass Festival left off, the 34th Annual Coombs Bluegrass Festival, August 2-5, 2012, kicks off the last month of summer activities in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area. Musicians and fans alike will delight in the oldest bluegrass festival in B. C. and one of the oldest in Canada, located in sunny Coombs.

On August 12, 2012, take a dip off Qualicum Beach at the Ocean Mile Swim.

Then, on Sunday, August 19, 2012, hundreds of children from the area will descend upon Parksville Community Park for the 20th KidFest - a full day of face painting, hair spraying, games, crafts, and learning about nature. And it’s all free! It runs in concert with the 28th QF Children’s Sandcastle competition.

At Parksville and Qualicum Beach, the ocean and beach are only the beginning. Only 147 kilometers from the provincial capital city of Victoria and 36 kilometers from the B.C. Ferry terminals in Nanaimo, this sheltered eastern region of Vancouver Island welcomes visitors to the delights of its unique towns and villages.

For more information visit www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com or call 1-888-799-3222.