A costume contest, game shows and all sorts of performances are among the offerings at this year’s Northwest Fan Fest.

The three-day celebration of fandom and popular culture includes vendors and artists, panels and workshops, entertainment and celebrities. It’s taking place in New Westminster July 8 to 10 in and around Anvil Centre.

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Greg Neher, show director, has been working with the city about expanding the event beyond the walls of Anvil Centre for this year’s event.

“We have some really big plans,” he told the Record. “We want to use Anvil Centre again, but also shut down part of Columbia Street on the Saturday. We are moving all our vendors to outside. We are hoping to have some food trucks, a stage, as well as a science fair and an area for kids.”

In addition to expanding the area of the festival, Northwest Fan Fest organizers are also hoping a number of smaller events will be held in downtown New Westminster in the week leading up to the festival. The festival attracts people from across Greater Vancouver.

“For New West’s perspective, it’s going to be a huge tourism draw,” Neher said. “From our end we are hoping to capitalize on being right in the heart of downtown New West.”

Northwest Fan Fest is just one of the organizations getting festival grants – either cash or city services - from the City of New Westminster in 2016. Other festivals set to take place this year include a food truck festival, Hyack Festival Parade and street fair, Hyack Festival Show and Shine, New West Pride Festival, Sapperton Days, 12th Street Music Festival, celebrations on Canada Day and Uptown Live.

Uptown Live, which wasn’t held last year, is set to return to Uptown New Westminster this summer.

The Hyack Festival Association hopes to offer the Show & Shine in 2016, after taking over the event that was organized by the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Association until 2014. In addition to resurrecting the Show & Shine, the Hyack Festival Association is also working on a route and hopes to launch a new Hyack Festival Grand Prix race this year.

On Monday, council had a lively discussion about the festival grant recommendations, with a majority of council eventually supporting all of the recommendations. Councillors Chuck Puchmayr and Mary Trentadue expressed concern about escalating funding for festivals in the city.

“Every year we are being asked for more funding,” Trentadue said. “I can appreciate it is a worthwhile ask, but I am not sure where we stop. I am not sure where we start to say no.”

By making it easy for groups to get city grants, Puchmayr said it curtails their need to work harder to seek funding from other sources.

“We need to think of some of these expenditures as an investment in our community,” said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy. “For example, when a street is closed so a food truck festival can happen and thousands of people come to attend it, that’s a pretty good bang for your buck that you are getting out of those kinds of festivals.”

Mayor Jonathan Cote said the festivals are positive events in the community, providing entertainment for the residents, promoting the city and benefiting local businesses.

“Half the costs we are looking at are actually costs to close down the streets,” he noted. “To me, I think if an organization can demonstrate they can put on a very successful festival, putting thousands of people into the community to an event, to me I think that’s worthy of support.”

Festival facts:

New Westminster city council has approved $272,000 in festival grants for 2016 so local organizations can increases economic development and tourism opportunities – and provide residents and visitors with fun, affordable events that showcase New Westminster.

· Queensborough special program: $1,400 in cash.

· Downtown Business Improvement Area food truck festival: $18,040 in city services.

· Hyack Festival Association – Canada Day on the River fireworks: $10,000 in cash.

· Hyack Festival parade and street fair: $5,000 in cash and $20,000 in city services.

· Hyack Festival Show & Shine: $16,000 in city services:

· New West Pride Festival: $17,100 in cash and $16,000 in city services.

· Sapperton Merchants Association’s (Sapperton Days): $5,000 in cash and $7,100 in city services.

· West End Business Association (12th Street Music Festival): $5,000 in cash and $7,400 in city services.

· Uptown Business Association (Uptown Live): $30,000 in cash and $7,000 in city services.

· New Westminster Pride Festival (city float participation in Vancouver Pride parade): $1,000 in city services.

· New Westminster Philippine Festival Society (Canada Day at Westminster Pier Park): $10,500 in cash and $2,500 in city services.

· Hyack Festival Grand Prix: $2,800 in cash and $14,000 in city services.

· Hyack Festival float refresh: $20,000 in city services.

· Northwest Fan Fest: $10,000 in cash and $10,000 in city services.

· School District #40 May Day celebrations: $22,660 in cash and $13,456 in city services.