Port Coquitlam Parade Float

The Port Coquitlam May Days Festival happens on the Mother’s Day weekend. It includes a pancake breakfast, the Rotary May Day Parade and other fun activities.

This past year the festivities took place on Saturday, May 10th.

BC POLISH FESTIVAL

Another great event in Port Coquitlam is the BC Polish Festival. In 2025 it took place on Sunday, May 25th. It’s also a free event and it is held outdoors at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (which is where the Party in the Park part of the May Days Festival happens on the Mother’s Day weekend).

PoCo Rotary May Day Parade and Festival

The May Days Festival in Port Coquitlam is one of the longest running celebrations of its kind in the Lower Mainland. The first edition of the PoCo May Days Festival took place in 1923, making 2025 its 102nd anniversary!

Festivities run for about one week each year. The May Days Festival and Rotary May Day Parade happen in Port Coquitlam (PoCo) on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, so in 2026 they will be on May 9th.

The official opening of the May Days Festival was on Sunday, May 4th, in 2025. The opening ceremonies usually take place indoors at the Jon Baillie Arena at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre. There’s Maypole dancing and family-friendly entertainment from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

The parade on May 10th this year was hosted by the Rotary Club of Port Coquitlam Centennial. The rest of the festival is organized by the city.

On the big day there’s typically a pancake breakfast at 8:00 am with proceeds benefiting a local charitable organization. After breakfast there are kids’ bike races from 10:00 am until around 10:45 am. There are races of 100 metres in distance for children ages 3 to 5. Kids ages 5 to 8 enter a 1.3 km race. And finally, youth between the ages of 9 and 12 can do a 2.6 km route.

Other activities on the Saturday in 2025 included the Rotary Parade and Party in the Square festivities. Continue reading for details about those events.

Hyack Festival Parade Float in Port Coquitlam

HYACK PARADE AND FESTIVAL

Another great community event with a parade is the Hyack Festival which takes place in New Westminster. In 2025 it happened on Saturday, May 24th.

Rotary May Day Parade

The parade starts at 11:00 am and lasts for about an hour. Actually, the last entries reach the end of the route by about 12:30 pm, or a bit before. It’s a great small-town parade with lots of floats, a few marching bands, decorated cars and kids dancing.

The parade starts around the corner of Shaughnessy and Kelly. It goes north along Shaughnessy, right on Elgin and then right again on Maryhill Road as far as Hawthorne.

Rotary May Days Parade — The Parade on Shaughnessy Street

May Day Party in the Square

After the parade there is Party in the Square from noon until around 8:30 pm. It takes place at Terry Fox Hometown Square at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre, plus on the block of Kelly Avenue behind the centre.

The Party in the Square event offers plenty of things to do. Food trucks are on-site all day and there’s a beverage garden with locally brewed beers available for purchase. Party in the Square also includes an artisan market with more than 50 vendors.

There were two stages of live entertainment at Party in the Square this year. Below were the Main Stage performers at Terry Fox Hometown Square.

Shauna Singer
Nette Songs
Generations
Johnny Bootleg
The Limit

Performers on the Kids Stage at Leigh Square were as follows:

Choral Connections
The Coyotes
West Coast Circus
Baron Band

Carnival-type activities are typically set up along a block of Kelly Avenue. That’s where you’ll find free games, a climbing wall, inflatable play structures and a few food trucks.

Food vendors at the event in the past have included Dos Amigos, Reel Mac N Cheese, Rotato Potato, Kona Ice, The Mad Greek, Mahshiko Food, Gary’s Kettle Corn, Magical Rings Mini Donuts and BAK’D Cookie.

May Days in Port Coquitlam — May Days on Kelly Avenue

Tips & Advice

The tips below are good to know if you plan to attend the May Days festivities in Port Coquitlam.

TIP #1: Organizers encourage everyone to walk, cycle or transit to the festival. On the day of the event, there are typically free shuttles travelling to and from Port Coquitlam Community Centre, which is where Party in the Square takes place. Stops include Minnekhada Middle School, James Park Elementary School, École Mary Hill Elementary School and Castle Park Elementary School.

TIP #2: The Party in the Square event features lots of things to see and do. Check the event schedule on the City of Port Coquitlam website so you know where to be throughout the day.

Other Information

Visit the Rotary May Day website for more information about the parade. Visit the PoCo May Days page to learn more about the festival in general.

See our articles about the City of Port Coquitlam, Port Moody and Coquitlam to learn about the event’s host city and other communities in the Tri-Cities area.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: