With golden sands, beach chairs, crazy golf and shopping galore, one island town might have the most entertaining car park in Scotland.
Costa del Kirkwall kicked off Thursday morning, offering locals the chance to catch some rays and support local businesses.
The event, organised by Kirkwall BID (business improvement district), runs until Monday.
For the duration of the event, the Broad Street car park will be covered in sand and full of beach-themed activities.
Kirkwall BID manager Laura Bruce said that her goal is to encourage families to support their town in the wake of a difficult economic period.
She especially hopes the fun will bring young people downtown, and remind them of all they can do to keep their community afloat.
Come one, come all
Ms Bruce said that the idea for the beach was admittedly a wacky one. But she wanted to do something that would encourage young people to come downtown.
She said: “After lockdown, a lot of our older folks are coming back, but not the young people. I wanted to try to encourage them to come out and support the great local businesses we have.
“We wanted to bring something fun to Kirkwall to encourage people back to the town centre. We thought this was a great way of bringing people to Kirkwall in a safe, outdoor space.
“In a year when so many things we look forward to have been postponed and cancelled, we encourage people of all ages to pop along and have a bit of fun this summer.”
Young Scot encouraging youngsters to get involved
To support Ms Bruce’s efforts to get more young people out on the town, the Orkney Islands Council Community Learning & Development team is offering information about Young Scot cards and rewards for current card owners.
By offering rewards points for cardholders and offering free bus travel to the events on Monday, August 9 via Stagecoach buses, the council’s youth services team hopes to provide enough incentives for young people to come and see what the buzz is about.
Youth Services team leader Cheryl Rafferty said: “We hope the buzz around this fun space will shine a spotlight on our wonderfully diverse and unique high street, and help raise awareness of how a Young Scot card can benefit not only young people but also the businesses who sign up to offer rewards and discounts.”
Kirkwall beach springs from community effort
Orkney Builders, one of the local sponsors for the event, provided the sand between the guests’ toes for this weekend. Stephen Kemp of Orkney Builders said that Ms Bruce’s idea reminded him of events that used to bring him downtown as a child himself.
“It’s lovely for us to be able to support this brilliant initiative. I have fond memories from my youth of street events like the St Magnus Fair, and I am delighted that Kirkwall BID initiatives like this will ensure the bairns today get to have the same sort of fun that we did!”
The free Costa del Kirkwall beach on the street event runs through Monday afternoon. The beach is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. most days, but check the Kirkwall BID website for specific on each day.
In addition to the food and drink options from local shops, guests can also enter a sandcastle building contest. Submit photos to admin@kirkwallbid.co.uk to enter.
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