New Westminster Hyack Festival

The Hyack Parade features lots of floats and marching bands in New Westminster in May. Family-friendly Hyack Festival activities follow at Tipperary Park.

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 Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival in late August (which is also an awesome event).

In 2024 the Hyack Parade and Festival happened on May 25th. To learn about the events in May, continue reading or visit the official Hyack International Parade & Festival website.

This article contains information about the following:

New West Hyack Festival and Parade

The Hyack Festival Association (HFA) organizes the Hyack Parade and Festival which happens on the last Saturday of May each year. The HFA has been deeply involved with the festival for over 50 years. The 53rd annual festivities took place on Saturday, May 25th, 2024.

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 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 2024 Hyack International Parade turned out to be one of the best parades for many years. The organizers were thrilled to host many multicultural entries from local community groups representing China, the Philippines, Ukraine, Japan and other countries. Out-of-town bands included the Arlington High School Band from Syracuse, New York, and The Beat Goes On Band from Portland, Washington. There were also lots of dancers, including the Vancouver Lion & Dragon Dancers, the Golden Spike Can Can dancers, the Country Cuties, and more. Spectators could enjoy vintage bicycles, MGBs, Shelbys, Thunderbirds, Volkswagens, and a slew of 100-year-old Tin Lizzies.

For full details, visit the Hyack International Parade & Festival website.

Hyack Parade Video

To give you a good idea of what to expect at the parade, check out the video below.

It shows scenes from the parade in downtown New Westminster from a number of years ago, from 2028 actually, 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 likely looked similar in 2024.

Further below you’ll find a video of the festival part of the event at Tipperary Park from 2023.

The Hyack Festival

Formerly called the Uptown Street Fest, the Hyack Festival takes place both during and after the Hyack Parade. The event runs from 11:00 am until about 4:00 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.

Thanks to the festival’s community partners, this 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 is 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.

Attendees this year also had the opportunity to take home a free printed photo from the festival’s photo booth, courtesy of the Port of Vancouver. The festival also has about 25 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, this year there was also a designated seating area in front of one of the stages, thanks to the support of the Work BC Employment Services.

Thanks to Starlight Casino and Match Eatery & Public House, there was dancing to be had this year too! 2024’s entertainers got you moving and grooving!

2024 Schedule of Events

See below for the schedule of events for the 2024 Hyack Festival.

11:00 am – Hyack International Parade and Hyack Festival began
1:00 pm – Hyack International Parade ended
4:00 pm – Hyack Festival ended

Artists performing in 2024 included the Uptown Swing Collective, Roots Peruvian Folk Dance, World Soran and Matthew Murphy. There were also swing lessons at 2:25 pm.

For the most up-to-date details, visit the Hyack International Parade & Festival website.

Hyack Parade Festival

For an idea of what the Hyack Festival in the Park part of the day looks like, check out the following video. It 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.

TIP #4: Another terrific event in New Westminster is Uptown Live. In 2024 it happens on Saturday, July 27th. It’s a music festival and street party. Admission is free.

Other Information

For more information about the events in New Westminster on the last weekend in May, see the Hyack International Parade & Festival website.

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.

For a list of other major events throughout the year in the Lower Mainland, click Festivals & Events.

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