It’s 5 p.m. in Qualicum Beach. If you are walking around downtown, it feels pretty quiet. Most of town is closed for the day and barely anyone is walking along the streets. But if you continue a few blocks down towards the Civic Centre, you’ll hear the rolling of wheels and the snapping tails of skateboards carving through Qualicum Beach Skatepark.
You will quickly see this is one of the busiest places in town. On any given evening, as long as the pavement is dry, you can see 20-30 people using this community space. The energy is palpable.
In its first year since being rebuilt by Newline Skateparks, the skatepark is drawing more than just locals. People are travelling from across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland to skate this park, but it wasn’t always this way.
“Skateparks become safe spaces for many people. They are places where people can be themselves in a world that often encourages them to be someone else”
The original skatepark’s scrappy beginnings
Twenty-five years ago, a skatepark was built on this site. It aged over time but was well loved by many. Parks like this develop skaters with character, skaters who learn from their environment. Ledges were big, ramps were steep, and the concrete was splitting. It was intimidating to enter, as you had to roll into a steep ramp just to skate the park.
But still, like many loved skateparks around the world, it was maintained by the community, a group of skateboarders who understood the value of the space, even with its challenges. If there was broken glass or leaves, skaters swept it up.
Skateparks become safe spaces for many people. They are places where people can be themselves in a world that often encourages them to be someone else. Skaters have long had the social reputation of being on the cusp of society, “rule-breakers” and “delinquents.”
It’s only been since the emergence of skateboarding in the Olympics in 2020 that mainstream society has taken skateboarding seriously. Public perception of skating is changing, and you can see that with the community efforts for redevelopment of the Qualicum Beach skatepark in 2025.
Yet, many people still think of skateparks as having no rules, as a place where youth go and cause trouble. Maybe, they think of skateboarding as a waste of time and not worthy of community resources.
I learned to skate on my street before moving up to the skatepark at 10 years old, and I quickly discovered there were rules in that space—and they weren’t just the ones posted on the entrance sign, put there by the City.
I learned very quickly to keep my head on a swivel, that more experienced skaters had the lead, and that I shouldn’t cut them off. Like any community space, I learned the unspoken rules of the skatepark by immersing myself. It was the community that taught me: older skaters take beginners under their wing, but they don’t hold your hand as you figure out how to go down a ramp. Falling is part of skateboarding. So is watching.
Skateboarding has always been a low-barrier activity. All you need is a board and concrete. Skateparks are accessible 24/7 and there is no cost for entry. For many, it is an outlet. An act to escape the world and your struggles. Skating provides a sense of freedom. Whether you’re rolling down the street or around your local park, when the wind blows against your face
and through your hair, you feel free—even just for a moment.
“There are few places in society that create the kind of connection that a skatepark does”
Creativity, failure, and why skaters keep coming back
Skateboarding is both a solo and group activity. You can skate on your own but it’s also fun when you’re with a group of friends. Through challenging one another, you learn and have fun together, and when you land a new trick and are cheered on by your friends, it’s a rewarding social experience.
This is a different kind of community, one that forms when people gather simply to do what they love, without having to pay to be there. There are few places in society that create the kind of connection that a skatepark does.
It was a tremendous, multi-year undertaking to get this skatepark redeveloped. The project was supported by the Town of Qualicum Beach, local businesses, and community members who donated money, materials, and their time. Many people came together, recognizing the benefit of investing in a space like this for youth.
The new park was designed and built by skaters for skaters, with the needs of all skill levels in mind, making it usable for a wide range of people. Qualicum Beach Skatepark is now less intimidating to walk into. It has open features, meaning you can walk into the park without having to navigate a steep ramp.
You’ll often be greeted by someone with a smile, and there is space for everyone, allowing both new and experienced skaters room to thrive. While the more advanced skaters are hitting features with intention and speed, beginners are steering clear while they work on their foundations. There is even room around the perimeter for spectators to marvel at what people are doing on their boards.
Skateboarding is both an art and a sport. There is so much creativity to it. It can be whatever you want it to be, because there are no limits to what you can and can’t do on a board. The limit is what you make it. That’s the beauty of it. Every skater has a different style, something different they bring to their board.
Skateboarding isn’t for everyone, you have to really love it, because a lot of skateboarding is failure. You aren’t always landing a trick or rolling away cleanly.
But when you do land that trick, especially if you’ve spent the last three hours trying it over and over again, there is no greater feeling. It’s that feeling that keeps so many of us coming back to our boards.
Skateboarding is a lifestyle. The Qualicum Beach Skatepark is a community space that supports people as young as five or as old as 55. No matter your first language or your background, the universal language of skateboarding will welcome you.
If you want to see what I mean, come by the park!
