Time to plan August: Vancouver Mural Festival releases 2023 lineup of events

Crowds gathered outside the City Centre Artist Lodge on Main Street and 5th Avenue for the 2022 Vancouver Mural Festival's Mount Pleasant street party. (Photo: Gabriel Martins)

Metro Vancouver will add 20 new murals to its collection of hundreds this summer, when an annual arts festival kicks into gear.

The Vancouver Mural Festival revealed the number of new works slated for the region on Thursday, along with the full schedule for its 10-day event.

“From collaborations between mural artists across Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods, to fun events that highlight the diversity of local communities– this year’s festival program is tied by the theme of connection, inviting audiences to come together in celebration of public space,” said Natalia Lebedinskaia, VMF Creative Director.

This year’s festival which will run from Aug. 4 to 13, and features free, daily mural tours in multiple neighbourhoods—including the downtown core, West End, River District, Mount Pleasant and Strathcona.

Several parties are also part of the programming, ranging from a Pride-themed public disco to a DJ’d daytime BBQ.

The festival’s marquee event is a massive street party held in Mount Pleasant over the final four days.

A breakdown of the lineup for that free event, which begins on Aug. 10, is now online.

Entertainment will be available at two locations—the main stage at the City Centre Artist Lodge at 2111 Main St., and the Oasis Beer Garden that Granville Island Brewing is hosting in the alleyway behind the lodge.

Daily programming includes performances by local DJs, drag artists, roller dancers, comedians and musicians.

Not only will artists studios at the lodge being open to the public, an artisanal market will also be set up on Main Street and 5th Avenue.

Another highlight of this year’s VMF is the sixth annual Holden Courage Memorial Graffiti Jam, a tribute to the namesake artist who died in 2015 at age 21, which is happening on Aug. 12.

While the names of the muralists involved in the 2023 festival won’t be released until July, VMF is offering fans a sneak peak of what’s to come.

Organizers say Jacquie Comrie, a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artists, will be producing a mural in Yaletown, while Musqueam artist Kelly Cannell is tasked with creating a large mural at the entranceway of the BCIT Burnaby campus.

A Hawaii-born Polynesian artist known as JNasty is tapped to paint the final installation of the West End Laneway Mural Series.

“Every year, our team curates art, spaces and experiences that invite people to connect with each other and feel a sense of belonging,” said Lebedinskaia. “We want to create an opportunity to immerse people in creativity.”