Volunteer at the 2026 Powell Street Festival
Festival Volunteer Roles
We have a range of volunteer roles available during pre-Festival, Festival Weekend, and post-Festival days. Some involve walking, lifting, and pushing a dolly, while others are more seated. You’ll be working alongside other volunteers and staff, with many opportunities to interact with the public, artists, and fellow volunteers. Sign up for the roles that interest you!
- Driving – Support pick-up & delivery of supplies for the festival. Must have a valid Class 5 License and access to your own car.
- Postering – Advertise the festival by putting up posters throughout the Lower Mainland.
1. Interactive Zone:
- Asahi Pitch Game – Manage the Asahi Pitch Game. Keep the line organized, explain the rules of the game, and distribute prizes.
- Donations – All activities at the Interactive Zone are free, with an optional donation available. Oversee the box and help people who want to donate.
- Kiai Contest – A “kiai” is a spirited shout. Oversee the contest while keeping kids organized and safe.
- Macro Maki – Our popular plushy sushi costumes! Assist festivalgoers in wearing the Macro Maki costumes and taking pictures.
- Suika Wari – This is the “watermelon smashing” game. Oversee the game while keeping kids organized and safe.
- Tug-of-war – Oversee the tug-of-war while keeping kids organized and safe.
2. Children’s Tent – Interact with our littlest festivalgoers! Volunteers lead activities such as origami, face painting, and crafts.
3. Daruma & Friend (2 roles) – A Daruma is a traditional Japanese doll and also PSF’s friendly mascot!
- The Daruma walks around in our Daruma costume to greet and interact with festivalgoers.
- The Daruma’s Friend walks alongside the Daruma to help guide them through the festival. The Friend does the talking and helps with taking pictures.
4. Environment – Assist with park clean-ups, waste disposal and sorting (recycling, composting), and emptying full totes.
5. Festival Survey – Chat with festival guests about their experiences and help them complete our annual survey.
6. Firehall Theatre – Support the programming at the Firehall theatre.
7. Floater – Standby/flexible role. This position entails versatility, as you will likely assist with a variety of tasks. Heavy lifting may be involved but is not a requirement.
8. Coordinator Food Runner – Help collect and deliver food orders to specific coordinators.
9. Hospitality & Security – Be the eyes and ears of the festival! Patrol the festival to support a safe and inclusive environment for both attendees and local residents. Conduct regular patrols of the festival site while staying vigilant for any potential issues or concerns.
10. Load In/Out – Help us load in and out festival gear and supplies. Load-out takes place on the Thursday preceding the festival (July 30th), and load-in happens the Monday after (August 3rd).
11. MC (English or Japanese) – Be the voice of the festival! Announce/introduce performances at our various program venues.
12. Morning Site Sweep – Ensure the cleanliness and safety of the area before set-up. Park clean-up includes picking up waste and needles (we provide gloves, tongs, buckets, etc.).
13. Omikoshi Crowd Control – Help with the Omikoshi event by clearing the pathway.
14. Photo and video documentation – Take photos and videos of the festival (booths, food, performances, attendees).
15. Senior’s Tent – set up chairs, monitor water + cups. Make sure the Diamond Stage is visible and not blocked during performances.
16. Set up – These volunteers are key to a successful festival! We do set-up on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Involves heavy lifting!
17. Signage – Help visitors find their way! Put up signs, posters, banners and boards.
18. Shig Hirai Sumo Tournament – Assist the Sumo Sundays Team with set up, tear down, and crowd control. Some heavy lifting may be required.
19. Take down – These volunteers are key to a successful festival! We do tear-down on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Involves heavy lifting!
20. Traffic – Assist with traffic control during setup by loading/unloading, redirecting vehicles away from the festival site, and maintaining safe pedestrian flow.
21. Vancouver Buddhist Temple (VBT) Security – Manage entry/exit to the Vancouver Buddhist Temple.
22. Vancouver Japanese Language School (VJLS) – Support programs and crowd control at the Japanese Language School.
23. Volunteer Registration Booth – Help with volunteer check in/out.
24. Volunteer Chill Space – This is the volunteer rest & recovery tent stationed by the Volunteer Registration Booth. Make sure all our volunteers are well fed, hydrated, and happy, by keeping the food space tidy and continuously replenishing the refreshments.
Clean-up – Support clean-up and re-organization of festival production materials.
Festival Weekend Volunteer Perks – Special to the 50th Celebration of the Annual Powell Street Festival!
Festival Vouchers – 1 voucher worth $10 is given to each volunteer for every 4-hour shift completed
The festival vouchers are how we at PSF show an extra bit of appreciation towards our volunteers who support us during the festival.
- Only during Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 1st and 2nd), every volunteer will receive a voucher worth $10 per 4-hour shift completed. These vouchers are treated as real money during the two days of the festival and can be used to purchase goods at any of our food/community/marketplace booths. They will stop being valid after Sunday, August 2nd, so please be sure to use them if you have them!
- Refreshments (sandwiches, fruit, coffee, etc.) at the Volunteer Chill Space tent. All throughout Saturday and Sunday festival hours.
- Volunteer Appreciation Party on Tuesday, August 4th – join us as we celebrate our wonderful volunteers with food, drinks, entertainment, and more!