Coombs Fair

The Coombs Fair is one of Vancouver Island's most beloved old-fashioned country fairs, and in 2026 it celebrates an incredible 113 years. Held over a weekend each August at the Coombs Fairgrounds just west of Parksville, it is run by the Arrowsmith Agricultural Association and keeps alive a genuine farm-fair tradition that stretches back generations. For families across the Parksville-Qualicum area — and the many visitors who discover it — it is a highlight of the Oceanside summer.

This is a fair in the truest sense. The barns and halls fill with livestock shows and judged exhibits of home, garden and craft — produce, preserves, flowers, baking, needlework and more, entered by growers and makers young and old. Around the exhibits there is mainstage music, food, vendors and the easy, old-fashioned family fun that makes a country fair special: something for the kids, something for the grown-ups, and a strong sense of a community coming together at harvest time. It is affordable, welcoming and refreshingly unhurried.

Coombs itself adds to the charm. The little market town is famous across the Island for its "goats on the roof" market and its cluster of shops, and it sits in the heart of the beach-and-forest country between Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Cathedral Grove. A trip to the fair pairs perfectly with a day at Rathtrevor Beach, a wander through Coombs, or a drive to the old-growth giants nearby. Bring the family, some cash for the concessions, and enjoy a real slice of Island tradition.