Here's the full lineup of the 2020 Vancouver Mural Festival

Aug 18 2020, 4:53 pm

The wait is finally over as the Vancouver Mural Festival, the city’s largest public art festival, returns for its fifth consecutive year. The festivities for 2020 have been expanded and reinvented, meaning that art lovers can expect more stunning artwork while still remaining physically distant.

This year’s event has been expanded into a three-week festival. Not only that but artists will be creating more murals in more neighbourhoods than ever. From August 18 to September 7, over 60 murals will be painted and unveiled in nine different neighbourhoods.

vancouver mural festival

“The Evening” by Fintan Magee. (CCracken/Vancouver Mural Festival)

In addition to VMF’s original home in Mount Pleasant, the festival will be creating art in South Granville, Robson, the West End, Downtown Vancouver, Strathcona, Gastown, River District, and Marpole.

Here’s a full list of the festival’s 21-day schedule:

The Vancouver Mural Festival Mobile App 

Consider Vancouver your new, open-air art gallery. The VMF Mobile App allows users to locate more than 250 murals with an interactive map, learn about the artist, filter murals by location and interest, and check out curated collections. It’s the perfect way to explore new neighbourhoods or create your own mural walk.

Date: Launches August 18
Location: Available on the app store or Google Play
Cost: Free

VMF Pop-Up Patios presented by Granville Island Brewing

In addition to stunning artwork, VMF, alongside Granville Island Brewing, has announced the Pop-Up Patio series — three weeks of live, nightly performances at an outdoor, cabaret-style venue. Performances will occur twice a night from Tuesday through Sunday for the duration of the festival — plus a finale show on the final night.

The shows will take place at 5:30 and 8:30 pm and are approximately two hours in duration. Each performance will be ticketed and will feature live music, drag, comedy, and burlesque from local curators, performers, and collectives.

Date: August 18 to September 7
Time: 5:30 and 8:30 pm nightly
Location: 123 E 6th Avenue in Mount Pleasant
Cost: $25, available online

VMF Year 5: Art Exhibit

The Year 5: Art Exhibit is a virtual gallery that showcases more than 100 original pieces of art from VMF alumni and local artists. See something you like? Original pieces, as well as limited reproduction prints, will be available for sale.

Date: August 18
Time: Live at 12 pm
Location: Online

VMF Curator Talk 

Ever wanted to learn how the festival selects its artists or its curation process? This year’s curator talk includes Lead Curator Drew Young, Graffiti Curator Scott Sueme, and 2020 Guest Curators KVMFrystal Paraboo and Sietrra Tasi Baker.

Date: August 18
Time: 7 to 9 pm 
Location: Online 
Cost: Free of charge

VMF Mural Tours presented by Herschel Supply

VMF_MuralToursPhotoCreditGabrielMartins_20180722_014

Mural tours from a previous year of the Vancouver Mural Festival. (Gabriel Martins)

These free, daily tours will give art lovers the chance to learn about Mt. Pleasant’s stunning murals. It’s also a great way to learn about the social history of Mt. Pleasant and how it became a hub for the public art festival.

Date: August 18 to September 7
Time: 2 and 4 pm
Location: Mount Pleasant 
Cost: Free

Downtown Shopfront Mural Exhibit

vancouver mural festival

Created by Carson Ting.(Gabriel Martins)

This stunning collection of murals will feature some of the original plywood installations that were used during the VMF’s #MakeArtWhileApart campaign, as well as a photography exhibit by Gabriel Martins.

Date: August 18 to September 18
Location: Pendulum Gallery
Cost: Free

VMF Artist Talk: Celebrating Black Resurgence

Since its first year, the VMF says that it’s made the engagement and inclusion of Indigenous and POC artists and curators a high priority. Yet, the VMF and other Vancouver cultural organizations, have had a poor track record in creating opportunities for Black artists.

This talk explores what needs to happen for this to change, what kinds of barriers they face, and how muralism can combat anti-Black racism in public spaces.

Date: August 25
Time: TBD
Location: Online
Cost: Free

Gastown’s Murals of Gratitude outdoor Gallery

Bonnie Henry murals of gratitude

Pictured at the launch of Gastown’s Murals of Gratitude Exhibition is Stephen Fluevog of Fluevog Shoes, Alison Jones and Christine Ryan of Food Banks BC and Dr. Bonnie Henry. The Provincial Health Officer. (Erich Saide)

This free, outdoor gallery honours the healthcare heroes that have navigated Canada through the COVID-19 pandemic. This public exhibition consists of 35 murals created for the shops of Gastown during the peak of the pandemic.

Date: Now until September 30
Location: Behind Water Street, between Carrall and Abbott Street
Cost: Free

Live VMF Mural Painting

pearl low vancouver mural

A mural in progress by Pearl Low. (VMF 2020)

It’s one thing to see the end product but what about watching the artists paint murals in real-time? And to make mural hunting even more exciting, VMF is hosting a contest with prizes from each of the festival’s nine neighbourhoods.

Date: August 18 to September 7
Location: Various locations throughout the city
Cost: Free

Daily Hive is a proud media partner of the 2020 Vancouver Mural Festival

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