Prince Rupert Special Events is putting out a call for nearly 100 volunteers to help with Seafest 2026, the city’s biggest annual celebration. The festival runs from June 12 to 14 with the theme “Whale Tails and Ocean Trails,” and volunteers are needed for a range of jobs including setting up and taking down equipment, helping at information booths, and taking photos.
“Seafest is Prince Rupert’s biggest annual celebration, bringing our community together to honour the spirit, culture, and maritime roots of the North Coast,” says the Prince Rupert Special Events Society, the non-profit that has organized the festival since 1992. The society relies on helpers to put on its events, logging more than 1,000 volunteer hours across four annual festivals.
People who sign up for a shift get festival swag and entries into prize draws. Prizes include a two-night stay at Prestige Oceanview Hotel Prince Rupert and passes to ValhallaFest, an electronic music festival near Terrace happening June 26 to 28.
The volunteer signup form is live now. Volunteers can choose the days and times that work best for them. Most festival registrations, including for vendors and parade entries, close on June 1, so organizers are asking people to sign up soon.
Alexandra Magliocchi, volunteer coordinator for the society, says volunteer numbers have been picking up after a drop during the pandemic. “We’ve been encouraged to see volunteer numbers and engagement start to come back,” she said, adding that clearer outreach has helped.
The whole festival weekend draws thousands of people to Prince Rupert’s waterfront and downtown. With the event only two weeks away, the society says every extra set of hands will help keep Seafest running smoothly for the community.
