City Centre Artist Lodge, Photo: Sabrina Miso/VMF
Check out twenty new public art mural installations adorned on the side of buildings across our cityscape as part of the 2023 Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) from August 4-13. This year, new murals can be found in various Vancouver neighbourhoods around the Lower Mainland. Events will be taking place throughout the festival’s ten-day affair.
Charlene Johnny, Photo: Sabrina Miso/VMF
Mural fans can look forward to the works of prominent Canadian and international artists at this year’s festival. VMF is known for its inclusive experiences that embrace and celebrate the rich cultures and communities of Vancouver, offering a space where everyone can participate and feel a sense of belonging.
Its open-air gallery of murals has transformed once-ordinary buildings across the city by morphing them into veritable canvases for colourful works of art.
City Centre Artist Lodge, Photo: Gabriel Martins/VMF
Mount Pleasant Street Party
Don’t miss the free, all-ages and family-friendly Mount Pleasant Street Party during VMF’s final weekend from August 10-13, with five exciting zones to enjoy at the iconic City Centre Artist Lodge and surrounding streets. Daily programming features DJs, live music, food trucks, a beer garden, an artisanal market, and much more.
Organizers have extended the festivities to four days to make the massive signature event an opportunity to connect folks through community arts, music, and performances. VMF hopes to make arts and culture a key part of the city’s future by using murals and events to connect Vancouver’s kaleidoscope of vibrant cultures and thriving communities.
City Centre Artist Lodge, Photo: Gabriel Martins/VMF
City Centre Artist Lodge
Many artists will open their studios daily at City Centre Artist Lodge to Street Party attendees as part of the City Centre Open Studios. Explore the innovative repurposing of the iconic former City Centre Motel as 79 low-cost studio spaces with 18,000 square feet of artist work.
Rose Poon, Margaux Wosk, Althea Adams & Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa, Photo: Sabrina Miso/VMF
Festival Events
VMF Mural Tours (Aug. 4-13) – Offered daily by donation, the tours will take attendees to several neighbourhood murals, highlighting the meaning of each artwork and behind-the-scenes stories of how they were made.
Public Disco Pride Special (Aug. 4) – A curated 10-hour program of 2SLGBTQIA+ DJs, dancers, visual artists, and drag performers at the Cobalt and Boxcar with an unforgettable Drag & Burlesque in the evening and a dance party until 2am.
Make Good Party (Aug. 5-6) – Check out all things local at this two-day market, bringing a curated gathering of Vancouver’s top makers, artists, breweries, food trucks, and DJs weaving a sun-soaked soundtrack.
Astro Alley (Aug. 5-7) – A mural jam and art exhibition where twenty artists will paint experimental murals, street art, and graffiti in the back alley behind Astro Studios.
Curator Talk (Aug. 10) – An evening of conversation and storytelling with this year’s VMF 2023 Curators at Herschel Supply Gastown.
VMF After Dark (Aug. 11-12) – Two nights of art, music and dancing at The Birdhouse with a 2-versus-2 open styles dance battle, party, top local DJs playing a mix of underground house, techno, and more into the night.
Mount Pleasant Street Party, Photo: Gabriel Martins/VMF
VMF is dedicated to artistic and cultural development in Vancouver by creating meaningful experiences that connect art and people in public spaces. Since 2016, it has created over 400 murals to life in the past seven years and works year-round to create private and public arts-driven projects.
Visit VMF’s website to see their full list of murals and schedule of events.
