New West to hold May Day dance for 149th year

  • 2019-04-12
One of the longest-running traditions in British Columbia will continue this May, as New Westminister will hold its 149th May Day festival.

The festival’s showpiece event will be a dance between local elementary school students, who have been assigned positions in the May Court.

The star of the show will be Amaris Han from Connaught Heights Elementary, who has been selected as May Queen, with Micheal Ront Gilson serving as the school’s Royal Knight. Han is the second straight May Queen from Connaught Heights, after Betty Suton represented the school last year. The May Day dance traditionally features students in the third and fourth grade. The history of the festival in New Westminster goes back to 1870, but it draws on centuries of tradition in England and other parts of Europe.

This year’s dance will take place on the morning of May 22 at Queen’s Park Stadium. In recent years, local volunteers have had to show their determination to keep the festival alive. Such traditions often depend on community efforts such as banner printing from local Print shops, or volunteer efforts from parents.

The May Day ceremony is presented by the Hyack Festival Association. It serves as the kick-off for a series of events highlighting the Victoria Day weekend, culminating in a parade on the following Sunday.

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