Parkland Secondary School students and grads are coming together this Friday to put on SidFest, showcasing their musical talents and raising money for Victoria’s youth shelter, Out of the Rain.
This is the third year the school has put on the fundraising concert, and new this year, several Parkland alumni are returning to the stage.
“The graduates of Parkland who have continued on making music are coming back and are headlining the show,” says Roger Young, the youth and family counsellor at the school.
The concert has grown out of band teacher Christine Sousa’s guitar class, which now has dozens of students involved and bringing music into their daily lives.
“Any time you come up in the morning, there’s about 30 kids practicing,” says Young. “It’s a really vibrant part of our school life now, and it’s all thanks to Christine.”
“Just about all of the current Parkland talent (playing at SidFest) are coming out of this guitar class.”
The show is a community effort too, with the Mary Winspear Centre donating the use of the Charlie White Theatre and the Sidney North Saanich RCMP covering the costs of the sound engineers for the show.
“They’ve been so supportive,” says Young. “All the money the kids raise goes to the shelter.”
SidFest is Friday, May 22 at the Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30.
Tickets are $10, available at the box office, marywinspear.ca, by calling 250-656-0275 or from any of the performers.
For more information, visit outoftherainvictoria.ca.