BC Culture Days Provincial Kickoff - PARKSVILLE

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About

Hosting the Provincial Kickoff for BC Culture Days is indeed an honour and here in Parksville we have prepared a fun filled day for the whole family. Our opening ceremony brings together our local, provincial, and federal government representatives to recognize our community, and Culture Days, as a national celebration of the rich Arts, Culture, and Heritage that we all share. We are honoured to have Chief Michael Recalma to share a blessing and welcome address from the people of the Qualicum First Nation.

The fabulous Ukrainian Dance Troupe the Vesna Dancers will be taking the stage to wow you with their colourful traditional clothing and fast paced dance routines. The ceremony will include a variety of performances that will be sure to keep us entertained.. Sylvia Humble will grace us with two song performances. Sylvia has a knack for getting everyone in the crowd to sing along so prepare to excercise your vocal cords.

Prepare to be “wowed” by the medieval fantasy themed costumes by AMTGARD, the highly athletic Live Action Roleplay team. It’s like a cross between Dungeons & Dragons and Gymnastics with some high energy combat sports. They will be set up, wearing their medieval regalia, in one of the Market Tents to interact with the public and promote their live performance event that takes place in the Parksville Community Park on Saturday, September 28th.

Following the ceremony the Artists & Cultural Village will be declared open for the day. You will be able to wander through 20 different Market Tents and enjoy traditional foods, clothing, music, dance, and arts & crafts presented in a new light as we generate a cross cultural interchange.

The fabulous 6 piece band, TOPAZZ , featuring the energetic vocalist with the charming personality, Miss Gina Allan will perform throughout the afternoon on the main stage. Gina is an ENTERTAINER extraordinaire with a super talented band who perform a wide array of music that appeals to everyone of all ages. Slip on your dancing shoes and join the TOPAZZ party. 🤗

Also on-site we present our Children’s Literary Workshop titled, The Marsh Mellow Project. Under the guidance of local Artist and Environmental Advocate, Gina Adams, you will have the opportunity to help in writing a fully illustrated Children’s Book that will be published in early November. Gina is a gifted watercolour painter and has created animal characters that will become the central figures in the story. The story will be centred around the theme of saving our wetlands and marshes. Plenty to enjoy and learn for all ages.

And let’s not forget the FOOD TRUCKS. Everybody loves to munch and we’ve assembled a nice variety of Ethnic and Local fresh foods for you to sample. Ukrainian Food, Upscale Fusion Street Food, and an Asian Fusion Truck will be part of the offerings. Come hungry, Leave Happy.

Organizer

Oceanside Community Culture Days

Oceanside Community Culture Days is a group dedicated to the planning, funding, and executing of BC Culture Days events for the Oceanside area on Vancouver Island. Parksville, Qualicum, Nanoose Bay, Errington, Combs, and Bowser are the main cities. We are a group of volunteers from the Oceanside Community Arts Council, the McMillan Arts Centre, and the City of Parksville, led by local Artist and Community Outreach Organizer, Pattiann Withapea. Our mandate is to provide our community with a unique and inclusive roster of events to celebrate BC Culture Days annually.