Chilliwack Mural Festival

Details

Chilliwack Mural Festival, presented by the Chilliwack Arts Council, has announced over 40 performers for the free, annual street festival in Downtown Chilliwack. Artists include Sadé Awele and Serengeti, Las Empanadas Illegales, Vox Rea, Higher Ground Dance Battles, Spank Williams, Kara Kata Afrobeat Group, Michaela Slinger, The Wookiez, and more. The festival runs on Thursday, August 15, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Mill Street and Bricklayer Brewing, on Friday, August 16 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at District 1881, Mill Street, and Bricklayer Brewing, and on Saturday, August 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at District 1881, Mill Street, Victoria Ave, Court Lane, and Central Community Park.

“I am thrilled to announce this year’s performers for Chilliwack Mural Festival, featuring talented musicians, dancers, entertainers, and beatboxers from Chilliwack, the Fraser Valley, and Metro Vancouver,” says Lise Oakley, Festival Director of Chilliwack Mural Festival, and Executive Director of the Chilliwack Arts Council. “We invite all residents and visitors to enjoy three days of free live music, performances, workshops, and activities for all ages throughout Downtown Chilliwack.”

New to 2024, the Chilliwack Mural Festival is adding a 1500 sq. ft tent to provide shade over the Sasquatch Stage’s musicians and audience within the Mill Street parking lot. The Sasquatch Stage, presented by The Georgia Straight, will feature alt-country, indie, and rock bands Spank Williams, Sleepy Gonzales, and The Relevators on Friday evening. On Saturday, the stage will include upbeat performances by Sadé Awele and Serengeti, Las Empanadas Illegales, Vox Rea, Kara Kata Afrobeat Group, and Muévete.

District 1881 will feature the Thunderbird Stage presented by District 1881, and Algra Bros. will showcase Indigenous cultural dance by Pilalt Warriors, beatbox performances by The Wookiez, and Higher Ground dance battles on Friday, as well as line dancing and Bollywood dance lessons, dance battles, and beatboxing workshops on Saturday.

Bricklayer Brewing has been added as a venue to host Chilliwack Mural Festival Nights, a free evening concert series on Thursday and Friday. Performers include Beach Moms, Daniel with the Visions and Summer Eyes on Thursday, and The Sylvia Platters, girly., and Hollow Twin on Friday.

Saturday, August 15, will feature additional solo busking performances by local artists on Victoria Ave. and outside The Offy in District 1881. Court Lane will feature a stage in the alley with performances by Nathan Barrett, Michaela Slinger, Haleluyah Hailu, Western Jaguar, and Velavox. Friday and Saturday will also feature Balkan Shmalkan and Vancouver Circus School roaming performances.

The Chilliwack Mural Festival celebrates arts and culture in Chilliwack. Eight new murals will be painted in 2024. The festival will offer interactive art activities, a kids’ zone, food trucks, and an art market.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

For more information on the performers, visit the Chilliwack Mural Festival website.

Chilliwack Mural Festival has confirmed nine muralists to paint from August 1 to 17 in Downtown Chilliwack. Muralists include Fio Silva, Guillem Font, Juanjo Surace, NEAN, Ovila Mailhot, Sophie Mess, Leon Keer, and Terry & Jordyn Horne. The muralists are selected by festival curators Carrielynn Victor, Amber Price, and Lise Oakley and include local artists from Chilliwack, Seabird Island, and Yeqwyeqwí:ws, as well as international artists from Argentina, Belgium, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

International muralists include Fio Silva, a big-scale Argentine muralist born in Buenos Aires. The combination of animals and organic elements shapes the movement of her figures. Her works refer to nature, time, and strength. Guillem Font resides between Barcelona and Mexico City, where he actively develops and produces his artistic projects across various disciplines, such as drawing, illustration, engraving, scenography, animation, and mural painting. Born in 1977 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Juanjo Surace began his artistic journey as a self-taught artist and later worked as a 3D animator and illustrator in Barcelona, Spain. His work is often described as strange, eerie, and bizarre. It showcases high creativity and imagination. NEAN is the pseudonym of a Belgian street artist with a fascinating style who lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. Entirely self-taught, NEAN started creating on paper before turning to aerosol spray paint and a passion for portraits. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Sophie Mess creates vibrant botanical-inspired artworks that radiate with energy and life, resonating with a deep connection with nature, capturing its essence through bold colours, intricate details, and imaginative perspectives. Leon Keer is from the Netherlands, and is one of the world’s leading artists in anamorphic street art, and often presents his art by adding new technologies, such as augmented reality and video mapping.

Local muralists include Ovila Mailhot, a Coast Salish graphic artist and designer. Originally from Seabird Island in British Columbia, he lived in Chilliwack for several years and now lives in Lafayette, Indiana. His roots are both in Stó:l? and the Nlaka’pamux Nation. Ovila notes that he feels compelled to create new work and revitalize the techniques and approaches to Indigenous art. Chief Terry Horne is a member of the Yakweakwioose Band of the Coast Salish First Nation. He was born in Chilliwack and carries the ancestral name of the Siyemches, passed down to him by his grandfather, Frank Malloway. His preferred artistic medium is wood, mainly red cedar, from which he carved house posts, totem poles, and masks. He will be painting his first mural with his daughter, Jordyn Horne.

The muralists will paint in Downtown Chilliwack in the weeks before the Chilliwack Mural Festival, which will be held in District 1881, Mill Street, and Central Community Park from August 15 to 17, 2024.

For more information on the muralists, visit chilliwackmuralfestival.com/muralists