Nanaimo May Day Parade, Circa 1930. Image E-05123 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives

2020 Contests & Awards

The contests for 2020 are currently in progress – we will provide an update here once everything’s ready! 🙂

2019 Contests & Awards

Honorary Parade Marshall Talent Show Heritage Show ‘n Shine Heritage Parade

Honorary Parade Marshall – Community Contest

Help us celebrate and honour an outstanding member of our community in this year’s heritage parade by nominating them for this year’s Honorary Parade Marshall!

Who do you think this year’s Honorary Parade Marshall should be?

The winner of the Honorary Parade Marshall Contest will be chosen based on Community Spirit, Contributions to the Community, Historical Significance, and Time spent in the Community.

Nominations for this year’s Honorary Parade Marshall are now closed.

[The 2019 Honorary Parade Marshall will be announced soon!]


Talent Show – Kids Contest

Have you made plans yet for Sunday, May 19th? Do you have a super talent that you would like to share?

Each entrant will receive a free festival t-shirt (we have 4 different styles), and there’s prizes to be won too (more about that to come)! It’s free to join, but signing up for the talent show is on a first come-first-serve basis – there’s a lot being planned for the day so there are only 10 openings available in each age category. The age categories are 3-8, 9-12, and 13-17 years old.

So come join the festival and show off your talent! The spots are going to fill fast, so be sure to register soon!


Heritage Parade Contest

Celebrating Nanaimo’s broad cultural heritage, the Nanaimo Heritage Festival Parade displays our community’s passions and helps tell the story of our heritage, from our First Nations people, to our coal and natural resources, to the railroad and marine transportation and beyond.

This year, it’s all about the kids. Come join in the fun and start getting your parade entry ready for this year’s parade! For more details on how to enter, visit the Nanaimo Heritage Festival Parade page.


Heritage Show ‘n Shine Contest

The Nanaimo Heritage Festival Show ‘n Shine is on Sunday May 19th, 2019 from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm at Maffeo Sutton Park.

We are giving away a TON of CASH and TROPHY AWARDS – and more to come – so make sure you have your ride glistening in its full glory!

Show ‘n Shine Registration is $20.00 per vehicle entry, and ALL vehicle registrants receive a FREE festival t-shirt!

Come join in! For more details, visit the Nanaimo Heritage Festival Show ‘n Shine page.