Concerts at the Parksville Outdoor Theatre are back this summer bigger and better than ever.
Trooper will start things off with a sold-out show on July 13, followed by the 'Rock the Park' Music Festival, which will run from Aug. 9 to Aug. 11.
A brand new six-speaker sound system was recently installed at the outdoor stage, according to Lloyd Derry, entertainment director and Parksville Beach Festival organizer.
“The sound now is gonna be just incredible," Derry said.
Also new this year is a bus shuttle service for the Trooper show and Rock the Park, in conjunction with the Regional District of Nanaimo and BC Transit.
Two 40-passenger buses will be running a route each during the hours of those events, Derry said. There should be a bus every 20 or 25 minutes, he added.
There will be pickup points at the Ballenas Secondary School parking lot, the Parksville transit exchange downtown (on Jensen Avenue), the Heritage Mall gravel parking lot by Serious Coffee and on Resort Way. Details about the routes are still coming, Derry said, and ticket holders will be sent this information.
The shuttle service will be by donation, suggested at $5 per person for a round trip.
The Trooper concert is scheduled on the same weekend that the Parksville Beach Festival kicks off and there will be a volleyball tournament at the same time, so concertgoers may want to take the shuttle since parking could be hard to find.
The buses will drop riders off right outside the main concert gates, Derry added.
Something else new this year is that licensed liquor service at the Trooper show and Rock the Park will be allowed in the wider venue and not restricted to a designated area like last year, according to Derry.
No liquids will be permitted past the gates and there will be a bag check, he added, but people are encouraged to bring an empty water bottle since there will be water available at the show.
Locals and visitors alike can also look forward to the free Tim Hortons Summer Concert Series Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the outdoor theatre. Concert dates are July 19, July 20, July 26, July 27, Aug. 2, Aug. 3, Aug. 16 and Aug. 17. The music genres will include classic rock, blues, country, 80s, pop and soul.
Rock the Park kicks off Friday, Aug. 9 with Johnny Inappropriate, Spirit of Shania (Shania Twain tribute), Bad Medicine (Bon Jovi Tribute) and Gaslighter (songs of The Chicks)
The performances continue on Saturday, Aug. 10 with Nautical Disaster (Tragically Hip Tribute), Absolute Def Leppard (Def Leppard Tribute Show), Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones Experience), The Tribute (A Celebration of the Beatles) and Absolute Queen (Tribute to Queen).
The festival wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 11 with West Coast Chicago (Chicago Tribute), March Hare, Reckless (Bryan Adams Tribute) and Zack Stevenson (Buddy Holly Tribute).
The Party City Buskers will perform daily (July 15 to Aug. 18) during the Parksville Beach Festival at the beachfront gazebo adjacent to the sand sculpting exhibition.
More information about Rock the Park and the full lineup of Parksville Beach Festival events is available online.