Uptown Live Street Party in New West

TD Uptown Live Presented by Douglas College is a free Indie music festival in New Westminster on a Saturday in July. It’s Metro Vancouver’s ultimate street party!

In 2023 the event happens on Saturday, July 15th. It’s an amazing event!

For the most up-to-date details about the street party visit Uptown Live’s official website at uptownlive.ca. For a video of what the event looked like in 2022, click Uptown Live Video.

In this article you’ll find the following information about Uptown Live:

Raincity Band on Uptown Live Main Stage

New Westminster’s Uptown Live

The TD Uptown Live Street Party is an annual, free, family-friendly event. It features live music on multiple stages, a beer garden, around 30 food trucks, over 50 artisan vendors and interactive activities. There are four performance stages on site where artists entertain.

Uptown Live is one of Metro Vancouver’s premier events and people come from all over the Lower Mainland to enjoy the entertainment, activities and fun environment.

When and Where

The street party happens on a weekend in the summer. In 2023 it happens on Saturday, July 15th, from 12:00 pm until 8:00 pm.

Uptown Live covers more than six full city blocks in the Uptown business district of New Westminster around Sixth Avenue and Sixth Street. There is no shortage of things to do and areas to explore while circulating through the event site.

The venue is in the streets near the Royal City Centre. The mall’s address is 610 – 6th Street.

For the most up-to-date details about the event, check out the Uptown Live website.

New Westminster During Uptown Live

What to Expect at Uptown Live

At Uptown Live expect to hear lots of great live music, enjoy tasty food truck treats, and see thousands of people having a fantastic time. It’s a fabulous event!

The festival is held in the heart of New Westminster and it extends over six full blocks. As many as 30,000 people attend each year.

At Uptown Live there are multiple stages for live music. Performing at the event each year are various up-and-coming BC-based bands. Throughout the area there are artisan vendors, sponsor booths, kids’ activities and interactive exhibits.

Last year there were four stages, an Esports Gaming Zone, a beverage garden and other family-friendly activities. There were also around 30 food trucks on site, as well as an artisan market with over four dozen vendors. 2023 will be similar.

Main Stage at TD Uptown Live

TD Uptown Live Highlights

Some of the highlights of the event in 2022 included the TGS Esports Gaming Zone, the Dusk2Dawn Electronic Garden, and the live entertainment venues which included the Main Stage, Next Gen Stage and Acoustic Stage. There was also an artisan market and lots of food trucks!

The entertainment lineup for 2023 is to be confirmed. We expect it though to be comparable to last year.

See below for details about each of these festival features that happened in 2022.

TGS Esports Gaming Zone

In 2022 the TGS Esports Gaming Zone was at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street from noon until 9:00 pm. Presented by TGS Esports Inc., this was a new addition to TD Uptown Live. (Note: In 2023 Uptown Live runs from 12:00 until 8:00 pm.)

The TGS Esports Gaming Zone was a live interactive esports and gaming experience. There you could play your favourite games on a variety of consoles. You could also enjoy a mini pop-up arcade, play fun games for prizes and even learn how to be an esports play-by-play broadcaster!

Dusk2Dawn Electronic Garden Presented by Prospera

Last year the Dusk2Dawn Electronic Garden was an amazing, eclectic daytime environment located by the intersection of Belmont Street and Seventh Street. Presented by Prospera Credit Union, this venue featured a brand-new Electronic Music Stage from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm. In this area of the festival there was high energy Electronic Funk and Fusion Music on a world-class audio system with incredible local talent. Also in this area were a number of artisan vendors.

Edgar Development Main Stage

Presented by Edgar Development, the Main Stage was another of the festival’s four stages. Located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fifth Street, the TD Uptown Live Main Stage featured some of BC’s best local artists playing a variety of genres from Pop Rock to World Beat, Indie Rock, Classic Rock and Funk.

The Main Stage schedule of performances in 2022 is listed below. (Note: Exact times and other details were subject to change.)

12:00 pm – The Long War
1:00 pm – Post-Modern Connection
2:00 pm – Black Pontiac
3:00 pm – Day of the Dog
4:00 pm – Spendo
5:00 pm – Antonio Larosa
6:00 pm – JP Maurice
7:00 pm – Raincity
8:00 pm – Big Easy Funk Ensemble

Raincity at TD Uptown Live — Raincity on the Main Stage

Next Gen Stage

Presented by PC Urban and managed by Face the Music Entertainment, the Next Gen Stage was at Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue between noon and 6:15 pm. The Next Gen Stage was like a love letter to diverse, modern, up-and-coming musicians in the Lower Mainland. The stage featured artists from the Pop, R&B and Modern Funk realm.

Founded on the values of diversity, community and connection, Face the Music wanted this stage to be a representation of some of the region’s most talented local artists with promising futures. This was where you could find music that made you want to dance!

The schedule of performances for the Next Gen Stage in 2022 is listed below. (Note: Exact times, artists and other details were subject to change.)

12:30 pm – Cenzina
1:30 pm – Laterdays
2:30 pm – AHSIA
3:30 pm – Bungalow
4:30 pm – Chersea
5:30 pm – Royal Oak

Electronic DJ Music on Dusk2Dawn Stage

Acoustic Lounge

The Acoustic Stage could be found at Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street. The music here ran from 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm. Presented by Royal City Centre, this stage featured acoustic sets from talented, young, local musicians and singer songwriters.

The Acoustic Lounge schedule for 2022 is listed below. (Note: Exact details were subject to change.)

12:30 pm – Angie Faith
1:15 pm – Isobel
2:00 pm – Richard Tichelman
2:45 pm – Angie Faith
3:30 pm – Isobel
4:15 pm – Richard Tichelman

For the most up-to-date details about the event, check out the Uptown Live website.

Uptown Live Vendor Stalls on 6th Street — Market Vendors on 6th Street

Uptown Live Artisan Market

In addition to all the music and other entertainment, at the event there were over four dozen vendor booths featuring a wide variety of locally-made artisan products.

Some of the things you would have seen in the market included art from Sisay Art Crafts, Karet Design, That Queer Card Co., and Beloved by Emily. There was also jewelry by One Thing Memory Lockets and Bead Mindful Gems. At Uptown Live you’d also find skincare products, clothing and organic soaps from Mom’s Care Natural Soap and Pash and Harmony, and crafts from vendors like Cariboo Acres Crochet, Perching Clay Art and Kerry’s Handmade Creations. There were also specialty food vendors like Oh Sweet Day!, BAK’D Cookies, Early Bird Dessert and Mukasi Coffee, plus so much more!

Uptown Live

For a really good idea of what to expect at Uptown Live, check out the video below. It shows what the street party looked like in 2022. As you’ll see, there are so many people in the streets having such a great time! There are bands performing, DJs playing, food trucks in the street, market vendors, beer gardens and so much more! It’s a terrific event!

Tips and Advice

Below are some suggestions and information to help you make the most of your experience at the Uptown Live event.

TIP #1: There is free all-day parking during the event at both the Royal City Centre (at 610 Sixth Street with the parkade entrance on Seventh Street) and Westminster Centre (at 555 Sixth Street with access southbound on Fifth Street). There is also metered street parking throughout the area.

TIP #2: Street closures usually begin at around 7:00 am on Sixth Street, Sixth Avenue, Belmont Street and Princess Street. Take public transit if you can. If you drive, go early, plan to walk a ways to the venue, and carpool with your friends.

TIP #3: The event takes place rain or shine. Regardless of the weather, if you go you’ll have a fabulous time! If it looks like rain though, dress appropriately.

TIP #4: If you like live music and urban street festivals, go to Uptown Live! It’s a terrific event, and it’s free!