Vancouver Mural Festival: 35+ new murals, music & community events, Aug. 20 (Vancouver)

“July 6, 2016 (Vancouver, BC) – Create Vancouver Society is excited to announce Vancouver Mural Festival on Saturday August 20, 2016. In partnership with The City of Vancouver, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area and the Burrard Arts Foundation, the inaugural event is expecting close to 100,000 people to join in the celebration of 35+ brand new murals around Main Street in the Mount Pleasant and False Creek Flats communities. The ambitious initiative hopes to transform the way art is seen in the city and already garnered serious community support over the past year culminating in a $200,000 matching grant from the City of Vancouver’s Innovation Fund as part of Mayor Gregor Robertson’s Public Art Boost.

The VMF art exhibition will include 35+ artists installing murals throughout the festival, with international highlights including Kashink (France), Bicicleta Sem Freio (Brazil,) LowBros (Germany) and NeverCrew (Switzerland.) Additionally, renowned locals like Ola Volo, DEDOS, Tim Barnard, Andrew Young, and Corey Bulpitt will also be taking part. The festival’s largest single mural will be painted on the front of Hootsuite’s HQ by local legend Scott Sueme. Burrard Arts Foundation will host a gallery show of participating artists July 14-Aug 27. For more details visit: www.BurrardArts.org.

The daytime programming will mean street closures along Main Street between 7th Ave and 12th Ave for performances, interactive art exhibits, community projects, markets and more. Thornton Park will also host a market, art installations and a lounge for festivalgoers to relax and take break from the sun. Music and art’s deep connection will be reinforced with 5 free outdoor stages, the two biggest being the famous Red Bull Tour Bus and the Truckstop Tailgate Party at the Red Truck Brewery on East 1st Ave.

Lastly, VMF is proud to launch their one-of-a-kind club music series, Underplay. Presented by 102.7 The PEAK, these evening shows will feature renowned artists playing intimate shows at Mount Pleasant’s top local venues like The Biltmore, The Fox Cabaret, and The Cobalt. The line-up includes Shad, Andrew WK, Hey Ocean!, Timber Timbre, Chapel Sound, Dralms, WILLA, and more.