Come hungry and come prepared to buy, says Cheryl Hodgson.
It has been deemed the “biggest street party on Vancouver Island,” and Party on the Drive is back for a fifth year.
Event planner Hodgson said Party on the Drive, which is an annual celebration of art, music and food, is getting bigger and better each year.
This year, Hodgson said they have expanded outside of the Parksville Qualicum Beach area.
“We just wanted to expand it out there,” Hodgson said. “So people not only know what’s available in Oceanside, but also what’s on Vancouver Island.”
Hodgson said they’ve got artists coming from as far as Sooke and Port Hardy.
The key to Party on the Drive is that the vendors have to be artists of some sort, Hodgson said.
“They have to make whatever they’re showing. They can’t be wholesalers,” she said.
Along with the vendors, there will be food trucks and live music. Hodgson said people should bring their dancing shoes.
Each resort, Hodgson said, will also be opening a show suite. She said people will get a stamp in their “passport” for visiting, and their names will be entered to win a prize. The prizes, which Hodgson said are worth more than $500, include overnight stays, spa treatments and more.
Party on the Drive started as a way to introduce Parksville’s Resort Drive to the locals, as well as tourists.
“We’re really trying to focus on introducing Resort Drive to people visiting the community,” Hodgson said. She said they want people to check out the accommodation and make Resort Drive part of their holiday plans.
Party on the Drive was spearheaded by seven resorts along Resort Drive; Beach Acres Resort, Madrona Beach Resort, Ocean Sands Resort, Ocean Trails Resort, Oceanside Village Resort, Sunrise Ridge Waterfront Resort and Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort and Conference Centre.
Last year, Party on the Drive welcomed more than 7,500 visitors throughout the day.
There will be shuttles for some of the resorts that are farther from the main drag.
Party on the Drive is Sept. 11 from 1-5 p.m. on Resort Drive in Parksville.
For more information, visit www.resort-drive-events.ca.
