With 2019 being it’s 4th year, it is growing to become one of the largest art, music and culture festivals in North America. The Vancouver Mural Festival was an optically stunning, event-packed 10 days celebrating visual art in one of its most impressive formats – the outdoor mural.
This summer, over 25 new murals were crafted by local and international visual artists around Mount Pleasant and the Main Street area of Vancouver, and a popup gallery with 90+ small format pieces were on display for art enthusiasts and first-timers to the festival alike.
What felt like a top-secret surprise and ultimate highlight of this year’s festival was Shepard Fairey’s participation in the festival. The world-renowned street artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing designed and painted his incredible 20-storey tall piece entitled “Earth Justice” which is permanently emblazoned for the world to see on Burrard Street. Be sure to look up next time you’re headed down Burrard – you can’t miss it.
The festival culminated in the massive Mount Pleasant Street Party on Saturday, August 10th, which transformed over 14 blocks around Main & Broadway into a living art space with live music, beer gardens, a skate jam, dance battles, and the Bondi Beach Party sponsored by Bailey Nelson.
DJ Terence Tso kept the good vibes going all day with a throwback playlist complete with 90’s and 2000’s hits from every genre. We had ice cold adult beverages from Hey Y’all Iced Tea, a competitive Spike Ball tournament, and a huge surprise giveaway of BN sunnies for lucky festivalgoers.
We had an incredible time and cannot wait for next year. Take a peek at some shots from the action-packed day and stay tuned to https://www.vanmuralfest.ca/ for next summer’s event.