New Westminster Hyack Festival

The Hyack Multicultural Parade & Festival is a wonderful, family-friendly event in the streets and at Tipperary Park in New Westminster in May.

This is a terrific event, and admission is free. The festival and parade are hosted by the Hyack Festival Association which is the same organization that puts on the Summer Music & Fireworks Festival (formerly called the Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival) in late August, which is also an awesome event.

The next Hyack Multicultural Parade and Festival happens on May 23rd, 2026. The fireworks festival, meanwhile, takes place on August 22nd.

Continue reading or visit the official Hyack International Parade & Festival website to learn about the events.

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New West Hyack Festival & Parade

The Hyack Festival Association (HFA) organizes the Hyack Multicultural Parade & Festival which happens in late May each year. The HFA has been deeply involved with the festival for over 50 years. The 54th annual festivities take place on Saturday, May 23rd in 2026.

The Hyack Parade

The Hyack Parade is a large parade, and a great one. It features over 100 entries including floats and marching bands.

The parade typically starts at 11:00 am at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Sixth Street in the heart of New Westminster. From there it goes down Sixth Street to Queens Avenue (by the Armoury), along Queens, and then up First Street to Queens Park. From start to finish the parade lasts for up to about two hours.

The Hyack International Parade hosts many multicultural entries from local community groups representing China, the Philippines, Ukraine, Japan and other countries. Out-of-town bands in recent years have included the Arlington High School Band from Syracuse, New York, and The Beat Goes On Band from Portland, Oregon.

Visit the Hyack Parade & Festival website for full details.

Ladies in Oriental Dress in Hyack Parade

Hyack Parade Video

Check out the video below for a good idea of what to expect at the parade. The video shows scenes from the parade in downtown New Westminster from 2018, but also a couple of scenes of the parade from 2023. The more recent two scenes are at the beginning and the end of the video, where the parade is near the end of its route, near Queen’s Park. The parade will likely look similar in 2026.

Further below you’ll find a video of the festival part of the event at Tipperary Park from 2022.

The Hyack Festival

Formerly called the Uptown Street Fest years ago, the Hyack Festival takes place after the Hyack Parade. The event runs from 1:00 am until about 6:00 pm at Tipperary Park (which is just down the street from City Hall and where the New West Farmers Market takes place on Thursdays in the summer).

The festival features vendors, community booths and a small number of food trucks. There is also usually face-painting, games and craft activities for kids, as well as live music and entertainment. Exact details for the 2026 event are to be confirmed as of mid-December.

Thanks to the festival’s community partners, this past year the festival included a Kids’ Zone, Photo Booth and Pet Zone, all packed with free activities and surprises for everyone. For the little ones, there was face painting, crafts, balloon twisting, and some fun surprises to keep kids entertained thanks to New West Dentistry and F45 Training New West South. Pet lovers can look forward to free treats and a photo contest for their furry friends.

The festival also has about 24 food vendors, including food trucks, offering a delectable array of cuisines from full meals to desserts. While there are plenty of green spaces around Tipperary Park to enjoy your food, there is likely also a designated seating area in front of one of the stages.

50/50 DRAW

The festival has a 50/50 draw. Tickets cost about $5 for one, $15 for five or $20 for 10. The winner gets half of the total ticket sales, and funds raised help the non-profit organization do what it does.

Hyack Festival in New Westminster

Schedule of Events

See below for the schedule of events for the 2025 Hyack Festival. The 2026 schedule should be fairly similar. (Note: Exact times and details are subject to change.)

11:00 am – Hyack Parade and Festival began
1:00 pm – Hyack Parade ended
1:00 pm to 1:20 pm – Official Welcome, Opening Remarks & Dignitaries
1:20 pm to 2:00 pm – Live music with Cookin’ With Brass
2:00 pm to 2:20 pm – Dance performance with Roots Peruvian
2:55 pm to 3:15 pm – Live music with Ricardo
3:15 pm to 3:55 pm – Dance performance with World Soran & music with Sangre Morena
3:55 pm to 5:00 pm – DJ Set & Closing Remarks

Visit the Hyack International Parade & Festival website for the most up-to-date details.

Hyack Parade Festival

Check out the following video for an idea of what the Hyack Festival in the Park part of the day looks like. The video shows scenes of the event at Tipperary Park from 2022.

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions and extra information to help make your experience in New Westminster extra enjoyable.

TIP #1: Try to take public transit if you can, or walk or ride your bike at least part of the way.

TIP #2: Go with an appetite. Lots of great food trucks will be on-site.

TIP #3: A great place for young families to visit in New Westminster is the Fraser River Discovery Centre. It’s both interesting and educational. If you have young children, the next time you’re in New West you should check it out.

Visit the Hyack Parade & Festival website for full details.

Live Music at Hyack Festival

Other Information

See the Hyack Multicultural Parade & Festival website for more information about the events in New Westminster on the last weekend in May.

Another event hosted by the same organization is the Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival. It’s a free, family-friendly event that happens at the waterfront in New Westminster in late August.

Click Festivals & Events for a list of other major events throughout the year in the Lower Mainland.

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