The Boom Booms will be headlining this year's Uptown Live event in New Westminster.
When Uptown Live returns to New Westminster on Saturday, May 25, it will showcase some of the best of British Columbia's indie music scene. Three performance stages will feature a mix of folk, roots and rock bands including the Boom booms, Good for Grapes, Bend Sinister, the Belle Game, the Shilohs, Buckman Coe and New Westminster's own Warren Dean Flandez.
"Our event team has worked really hard to identify some of the top up-and-coming acts in B.C.," said Hyack executive director Douglas Smith in a press release. "There are no weak links in the lineup, so it promises to be wall-to-wall entertainment throughout the afternoon."
Uptown Live, which is presented by Royal City Centre and Westminster Centre, will take place about 1 p.m. in uptown New Westminster, immediately after the Key West Ford Hyack International Parade.
Now in its second year, Uptown Live includes music stages, the Flow Show BMX bike demonstrations, top Vancouver food trucks and the City of New Westminster's family fun zone.
"We hit a bit of a home run last year in launching the event on parade day," Smith said. "We wanted to capitalize on the large parade crowd and we were delighted everyone stuck around for the street festival. The quality of entertainment on the main stages is first-rate and the level of community engagement from local merchants, sponsors and the City of New Westminster really helps create a great, high-energy atmosphere."
According to the Hyack Festival Association, Uptown Live was aimed at attracting a young audience and fit with the association's overall strategy of producing bigger budget, higher quality events.
The annual Hyack Festival takes place from May 17 to 26 and includes a number of major events: opening ceremonies and fireworks (Friday, May 17); DiverCity Multicultural Festival (Saturday, May 18); Hyack Anvil Battery Salute (Monday, May 20); May Day celebrations (Wednesday, May 22); and Hyack International Parade and Uptown Live (Saturday, May 26).
