Spokane, Wash. – Once a rough and tumble rail yard located in the very northeast corner of Spokane, Hillyard is once again inviting everyone over for a fun festival full of food, rides, vendors and of course, a parade.
Organizers say this is the 109th Festival and Hi-Jinx Parade and they just can’t wait for it to start.
“It’s always been the first full weekend of August,” said Shawn Fissette, president of the Hillyard Festival.
Like so many other events, the festival took a break in 2020 because of COVID.
“This is a year of rebuilding, but we are hopeful we get a lot of people,” Fissette said, adding that in 2019 there were more than 80 vendors at the park and the parade had 43 entries. “We started giving cash prizes for the best parade floats in 2019, and it was really beginning to take off before COVID hit.”
The Hillyard Festival runs for three days starting on Friday, Aug. 6 at noon and closing at 5 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 8. Hillyard merchants and restaurants stay open and many have special deals
The epicenter for the festival is Harmon Park, which is located off Market Street between Decatur and Bismark Avenues. This is where you can find the vendor fair, kids fun and games, as well as food and drinks.
Saturday’s parade at 10 a.m. is always a crowd-pleaser. Entrants may register as late as the morning of the parade by following links at www.hillyardfestival.com – that’s also where vendors can download registration forms.
Fireworks are planned for 9:45 p.m. on Saturday (weather permitting).
Sunday morning begins with a non-denominational church service at 10 a.m. in the park, followed by voting for the people’s choice award in the Fourth Annual Roll’N’Hillyard Carshow which is organized by the Inland Empire Hotrod Association.
As of early summer, festival organizers were hoping to pull together a special area for local artists.
“We are hoping to have pottery and working artists at the festival,” Fissette said.
Mostly, though, they are just hoping for a good turnout.
“People have been cooped up for so long,” Fissette said. “I really hope they will come up here and have some fun.”
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