Among other things, CityFest gave people a chance to learn more about City operations and have their voice heard.

By Tommy Osborne

CityFest

CityFest hosted at Canada Games Plaza for second straight year

May 13, 2026 | 4:10 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – For the second straight year, CityFest returned to Canada Games Plaza. Hosted on May 13 from 3:00-6:30 p.m., the event is a casual, fun way for community members to engage with the City of Prince George and learn more about its operations.

“We’ve got people here from wastewater, people from HR, from legislative services to talk about the upcoming election. We just want all facets represented and for people to come and maybe learn something that they didn’t know,” said the City of Prince George’s Manager of Communications Claire Thwaites.

You could even climb the machines, like Zambonis!

CityFest is a family friendly event with games, food trucks, face painting, live music, and more, so it’s also a way to have a fun afternoon, on top of learning more about the City. Thwaites says opportunities like this are especially valuable as it showcases aspects of the City many may not think of. For example, most may think of visible services like snow plows and garbage removal, but the City also plans things like the future of your neighbourhood.

“There’s opportunity for people to give their input, so the riverfront is something that long-range planning are doing today as an engagement activity, so come and have your say. What would you like to see? How can we better Prince George? That’s an important part of today: hearing from the people,” Thwaites said.

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She adds the casual, lighthearted nature of the event is also a great way to get involved with City operations, as going through the bureaucratic processes of the City may seem intimidating to some, so being able to simply have a conversation with the people behind the operations can help you get the information you’re looking for, while also getting your thoughts in.

“Sometimes when people think of City engagement, they think of a town hall style Q&A where they have to get up in front of everybody with a microphone to ask that question. The formats of those events have a time and a place, but something like this where it’s relaxed, it’s casual, you’ve got a lot of staff here from a lot of different departments to answer your questions, plus we’ve got mayor and council here too, it just makes it a little bit more friendly and fun,” Thwaites said.

CityFest falls on Local Government Awareness Week, which is an ongoing initiative to generate awareness and education about local government’s roles and responsibilities.

by Tommy Osborne

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CityFest hosted at Canada Games Plaza for second straight year

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