Over 20 new murals to be painted for this year's BUMP Festival

Calgary’s about to get a bit brighter this August.

The Beltline Urban Mural Project (BUMP) Festival is back in the city this month, bringing with it over 20 new murals.

The community-driven initiative first started back in 2017 and has seen a total of 31 murals painted as a result.

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The 2020 additions will include work from abstract French graffiti artist Astro, Canadian/Kazakhstan contemporary folklore artist Ola Volo, and Calgary painter Michele Hoogveld, among many others.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic still presents a very real threat to public health, festival organizers have replaced their usual guided tours with GPS-enabled, self-guided tours, as well as pre-recorded artist talks.

“This year has been especially difficult in the arts due to the global pandemic,” said Junette Huynh, director of public art, in the release, “however, we are very grateful to present the most exciting and ambitious BUMP Festival to date with 20 new murals by a selection of amazing local, national and international artists.”

There have been two self-guided tours rolled out so far, which take participants through the Beltline to view both old murals and new works-in-progress.

A full map of new (orange) and old (blue) murals can be found at the BUMP Festival website.

New (orange) and old (blue) murals in Calgary (BUMP Festival)