Riverfest in New Westminster

RiverFest is a festival that celebrates World Rivers Day in September with art, historical and environmental exhibits along the Quay in New Westminster.

For the event’s official website click RiverFest.

RiverFest in New Westminster

RiverFest is organized and hosted by the Fraser River Discovery Centre. It’s a two-day event that takes place on the Saturday and Sunday at the end of September. Exact dates for 2025’s festival are to be confirmed.

For full details about the event, visit the Fraser River Discovery Centre‘s website.

RiverFest Activities

RiverFest is a family-friendly festival with a variety of things to see and do.

On the Saturday, there’s an exhibitor expo and market along the boardwalk outside the Fraser River Discovery Centre. There’s also the Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade at 2:15 pm, plus live performances on an outdoor stage throughout the event.

Sunday features guided walks of the area. There are birdwatching opportunities, educational boat talks and other interesting walks to participate in.

During RiverFest, admission to the Fraser River Discovery Centre is free! The attraction has special exhibits and activities indoors as well. Many of the things to do are great for little ones. On both days of the event, the centre hosts a Family Fun Zone. This includes the opportunity for kids to make some art and learn a lot about the environment in general.

Visit fraserriverdiscovery.org for the event’s official website.

Main Stage Entertainment

In addition to the market vendors there are a number of live performances on the Saturday. Last year these performances took place on the Sturgeon Stage on the New West Boardwalk. Last year’s entertainment schedule was the following (and 2025 will likely be comparable).

11:00 am – Harmeet Virdee
12:00 pm – Glisha
1:00 pm – Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack)
2:15 pm – Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade
3:00 pm – Kristina Shelden

Community organizations also set up informational booths along the boardwalk at RiverFest. Typical attendees include Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, FortisBC Gas, Metro Vancouver and Tourism New West.

Riverfest Live Entertainment — RiverFest Entertainment at Westminster Quay

RiverFest Guided Walks

On the second and final day of RiverFest there are a series of guided walks in various locations around Metro Vancouver. Most of them include a free shuttle ride from the Fraser River Discovery Centre and back again. The walks last for around an hour each and attendees must pre-register on the RiverFest website.

Below was the list of walks available last year.

10:30 am – Forest Therapy at Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey
12:30 pm – Discovering Aquatic Animals in Cities at the Quayside Boardwalk
12:45 pm – Boats 101 at the Dock near the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Richmond
2:00 pm – Quayside Tour at the Quayside Boardwalk
3:00 pm – Intro to Birding at Burnaby Lake Regional Park

Visit fraserriverdiscovery.org for the event’s official website.

RiverFest Video

To give you an idea of what to expect at RiverFest, check out the video below. It shows scenes of the event in 2021. That was during the COVID-19 era, at a time when public events were still possible. Because of the times, however, the event was smaller than usual.

As you’ll see in the video, the waterfront in New Westminster is a beautiful area. It’s especially interesting, though, when events and live entertainment are taking place, like during RiverFest.

The group of drummers performing in the video are Katari Taiko.