New Westminster‘s Fridays on Front is an annual series of summer night market events with shopping, food, drinks, music and fun themed activities.

Fridays on Front Artisan Night Market in New Westminster

Fridays on Front takes place in July and August each year. The event is part night market, part block party, and entirely free to enjoy.

In 2024 there are six Fridays on Front events. They take place almost every week from July 12th to August 23rd. All of them have their own unique theme.

One of those themes is Car Free Day on July 26th. The normal New Westminster Car Free Day event is not taking place this year. The Fridays on Front version is not a total replacement but it has some of the elements of a typical Car Free Day.

Note: Another night market that runs on Fridays in the summer is the Shipyards Night Market. It’s a wonderful event at Shipbuilders’ Square in North Vancouver. In 2024 the market runs from May 10th until September 13th. Each Friday offers vendors, live music, a beer garden and more.

2024 Location and Dates

Fridays on Front 2024 takes place next to Westminster Pier Park on the 600 block of Front Street Mews. The event takes over the full block with vendor stalls, food trucks, a music stage and more.

The 2024 summer season happens from July 12th to August 23rd. Below are the dates and themes for the events this year.

12th of July, 2024 – Bollywood Bash
19th of July, 2024 – Retro Rewind
26th of July, 2024 – Car Free Day
9th of August, 2024 – Fiesta Latina
16th of August, 2024 – New West Pride
23rd of August, 2024 – Video Games

What to Expect at Fridays on Front

The different Fridays on Front events have the same overall structure, but they also have unique twists each week!

In terms of what stays the same, you can always expect to see local artisan vendors, food trucks, musicians and/or DJs, and some fun activities.

What changes every Friday is the exact lineup of food, music and fun. There are five food trucks each week and they are completely different each time (so there’s 30 that are taking part in the 2024 season). The music relates to the theme of the week, as do the activities or contests on hand.

For example, the opening night in 2024 was the Bollywood Bash on July 12th. Performing that week were Dance with Karthik, Nats and DJ Sukhi Walia. There was a contest for the best Bollywood pet outfit at the Bolsey’s Pet Lounge with cash prizes. The food trucks on hand were Shameless Buns, Munchu Picchu, Reel Mac and Cheese, Rocky Point Ice Cream and Spanish Cravings Taverna.

Specific details about each event are posted close to the date on the Fridays on Front Instagram page. Each week brings a different flavour to New West!