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Heritage Fair 2026

Preparing for your Heritage Fair adventure!

How to Participate

Heritage Fair students follow their curiosity, use historical inquiry skills, and present their learning to an authentic audience.

To take part in Heritage Fair, students:

  • Choose a topic in Canadian history to explore, often drawn from their cultural heritage or personal interest
  • Develop an inquiry question that stems from their curiosity about that topic, a question that invites deep thinking
  • Find sources to answer the inquiry question
  • Present their findings in a 3D display, which often includes a tri-fold display board, video or other medium to engage and inform viewers about what they have learned
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Eligibility

Below are the eligibility requirements for participating in Heritage Fair.
  • Students in Grades 4-10
  • Projects in English or French
  • Projects by individuals, partners or small groups. Only individual projects will be considered for the BC Provincial Heritage Fair.
  • Project dimensions must not exceed 2.5 feet wide and 16 inches deep. Each student will be assigned one half of a table to set up their project at the Regional Fair.

Teacher Resources

We support students and teachers for a successful Heritage Fair experience

Canada’s History offers excellent resources for teachers, including the popular What’s the Story publication that guides students through the process of undertaking a historical inquiry project.

Looking for French resources? Follow the link and select Français in upper right corner to toggle between English and French.

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Timeline

Below is a suggested timeline with links to resources to help make your Heritage Fair experience a successful one.

December

    • Visit the Canada’s History Heritage Fair website in English or French for the educator guide, a printable student planner, a Heritage Fair countdown checklist, and other useful resources.
  • Teachers register their class for the Richmond Regional Heritage Fair. Registration closes on December 31, 2025.

January

  • Teachers introduce Heritage Fair to their class. Teachers can follow the What’s The Story program or follow their own plan.
  • Students select a topic and develop an inquiry question. Students can choose their own topic or from these topic lists, which include student-friendly books or websites for each topic. Teachers can use this Powerpoint presentation about What Makes a Good Inquiry Question (developed by Ms. Soo, Richmond School Teacher)

February

  • Students begin the research process: find primary and secondary sources, take notes and keep track of where they found their information (bibliography)
  • Students begin writing their rough drafts of their project.
  • Teachers download the Heritage Fair Countdown to plan their School Heritage Fair.

March

  • Students design their Heritage Fair project display and practice for their interviews with these suggested interview questions in English or in French.
  • Teachers are given a specific number of project spaces at the Regional Heritage Fair. Each class is usually assigned four or five project spaces with a maximum of twenty spaces per school. For example, even if more than four classes register for the Regional Fair, only twenty spaces are reserved for that school.
  • Teachers download the Certificate of Participation for all students who present a project at the School Heritage Fair.

April

  • Students reflect on their Heritage Fair project and present their Heritage Fair project at a School Heritage Fair.
  • Students and teachers assess these Heritage Fair projects with the Heritage Fair Project Rubric in English or in French.
  • Teachers select students to present their projects at the Regional Heritage Fair. These students will need to fill out the Student Registration Form and Project Summary Form in English or in French.
  • Student registration forms must be returned to the Richmond Fair Coordinator by FRIDAY APRIL 17. The project summary form can be sent by e-mail to the Richmond Fair Coordinator or students can bring it with them on Project Set-Up Day on THURSDAY MAY 7.

May

  • PROJECT SET-UP – Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Each project will be assigned a 3-foot space (half a 6-foot table).
  • FAMILY OPEN HOUSE – Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
  • HERITAGE FAIR DAY – Friday, May 8, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

June

  • Teachers are encouraged to give feedback about their Heritage Fair experience with this feedback form.
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