OKLAHOMA CITY – It takes a few million years for a beach to form naturally but, in just two weeks, a concrete area in Bricktown will turn into a summer paradise.

123 tons of sand will fill the area for the summer for the Bricktown Beach.

“This big area, this is where there will be the option to do volleyball and stuff like that,” said Mallory O’Neill, Bricktown District manager. “Then, there will be the boardwalk.”

The beach will be right in front of the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Mickey Mantle Drive.

“It’s going to have some programs but not all of the time,” O’Neill said. “We want it to be a place for people to just take their lunch break.”

The idea was formed after some staff with Bricktown Inc. and Downtown OKC went to a work trip in Detroit, Michigan.

“In between conference classes, we got to sit outside, roll up our dress pants and hang out on the beach,” O’Neill said. “We left our visit to Detroit and thought we need to bring a beach to downtown Oklahoma City.”

There will be an area to play corn hole, giant Jenga, an area to watch some of the programs they have planned this summer and surfboard benches to give it a real beach feel.

“We’re looking at mid to late June to have a concert, have a movie night in July, have an outdoor movie at the beach,” O’Neill said.

It will cost $20,000 to install.

Officials will pay for it by using money taken from the Rock The Boat event they’ve had in years past.

Bricktown Business J.E. Dunn Construction is building it for free.

Nearby businesses plan to use it, too.

“People watching is one of the reasons why people come downtown anyway and come to Bricktown,” said Chad Huntington, general manager of the Water Taxi. “So, it’s going to be a great place for people watching. It’s going to be a great place to sit back and relax.”

The beach is scheduled to open June 20 and close in September.