Three of the 22 sand sculptures were damaged in an apparent case of vandalism on Parksville’s waterfront. (Image Credit: Parksville Beach Festival Society)
By Ian Holmes
Sculpture sabotage
Jul 12, 2026 | 1:37 PM
PARKSVILLE — Artists are scrambling to restore damage to sand sculptures under construction as part of the popular Parksville Beach Festival’s sand sculpting competition.
A Parksville Beach Festival Society Sunday, July 12 news release stated several sculptures were damaged by suspected vandalism, requiring competitors to spend valuable time repairing their work rather than completing their creations.
“We are incredibly saddened that the hard work of our sculptors, volunteers and staff was affected in this way,” society president Cheryl Dill stated.
She told NanaimoNewsNOW that three doubles teams had their sculptures impacted, but stated as of early Sunday afternoon the damage was difficult to detect given the repairs that had been made.