Burnaby Mountain Comes Together To Celebrate StreetFest! 2022

by Taylor Assion

On September 16, 2022, people from around Burnaby Mountain gathered on University High Street to celebrate the first in-person StreetFest! since 2019. Everybody joined in the fun including SFU students, staff and faculty, UniverCity community members, children from University Highlands Elementary School, SFU Childcare Society and many more folks from the surrounding neighbourhood.

StreetFest! originally began in 2018 as a way of connecting the community, bringing them together to celebrate the talent, creativity and vibrancy of all Burnaby Mountain has to offer. In-person festivals were held in 2018 and 2019 but, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a virtual version of the festival was opted for in 2020/2021 using virtual and augmented reality. StreetFest! 2022, hosted by SFU, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) and the UniverCity Community Association (UCA), marked a return to in-person activities, creating an opportunity for reconnection.

“StreetFest! 2022 was billed as a fun-filled day to showcase the SFU, SFSS and UniverCity communities,” comments Clea Moray of the UniverCity Community Association. “The energy, exuberance and goodwill on display that day by all participants was a testament to the behind-the-scenes dovetailing of minds and ideas culminating in an authentic community celebration - the stuff of which healthy neighbourhoods are made. It was gratifying and delightful to be a part of it.”

This year’s festival featured increased vendors, including a growing local artisan market and an array of delicious offerings from local Food Trucks thanks to coordination with the Greater Vancouver Foodtruck Festival. In addition to the vendors, there were also a variety of street performers including living statues, jugglers, trick rope jumping demonstrators and even a mermaid which was enjoyed by young and old alike.

“We were very excited to play an active role in planning StreetFest! this year,” remarks Vaibhav Arora, Vice President of Events and Student Affairs with the SFSS. “It’s important to host events like this that connect students with their community. We’re proud of the event that came together and of course, of our talented student performers.”

On the main stage, there were many entertaining and moving performances that featured musicians, DJs and poets from the community, including UniverCity residents and SFU students. Other entertainment included games, demonstrations, mini golf and a rock-climbing wall to check out the view from above University High Street. 

“Our goal was to bring the community together again and to kick off the fall semester in person with a bang,” says SFU Chief Commercial Services Officer, Mark McLaughlin. “With the sun shining down on our event, we must have had over 5,000 people on the street throughout the day enjoying themselves. I’m always so amazed to see the immense musical and performance talents that our students have and I am very thankful to all our volunteers who helped make this festival possible.”

Photos by Matt Tsai