On a snowy Family Day weekend, Vancouver has kicked off the Vancouver Mural Festival Winter Arts!
Do you love discovering street art, explore it taking a stroll around the city? You’re in for a treat. Read on.
We bring to you three routes for admiring the Vancouver Mural Festival 2021 season. Allow yourself about 90 to 120 mins for each walk to explore these at leisure. They are not particularly long, but you may find yourself walking slower than usual while gazing at every artistic display you encounter.
Earth Justice by Shepard Fairey
Our first route has it all: wide streets, alleys, glass-façade high-rises, brick ones too, art on asphalt, movie sets…as though Downtown Vancouver wasn’t lively enough to see, Vancouver Mural Festival and Downtown BIA have partnered to offer you an extra experience: Augmented Reality (AR)! Check out details here.
This open-air exhibition lasts only until February 28th so get out your gloves, your smartphone and make sure to cover this list. When you get to a location on the walking route, you will find instructions and description about the piece. In general, for seeing the effect you need to point your camera to the QR code (look for the information sticker located near the art displays enabled with AR), open the link with Instagram or Facebook and wait until it loads. Each one is unique.
We started in Chinatown-Stadium SkyTrain Station and took a 4.5 km detour to go to Gastown. We tried to maximize the tour by visiting murals from other collections as well so it might feel longer than it is.
If you find the VPL Central Branch open during the time you come up to it, don’t hesitate to walk through its promenade. Continue to the Entertainment District and then the šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square - Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza. Enjoy it at your pace and then walk towards the Financial District to end up in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Vancouver.
For the second route, we started at the Yaletown-Roundhouse SkyTrain Station and visited the colorful streets in West End. We spent quite time in the Davie-Bute Plaza. It is bright, fun and diverse. Check it out after sunset. We hear it’s superbly lit-up!
Jim Deva Plaza
We walked down the steep slope of Bute Street, crossed Sunset Beach, and boarded on one of the False Creek Ferries to Granville Island. The ferry driver was kind to help us with the stroller, but these boats cannot safely accommodate wheelchairs. Heading east from Sunset Beach, there is a dock for the Aquabus. The Aquabus is wheelchair-friendly and takes bikes too. Check their websites before you plan your trip for updated information.
Once on Granville Island, the route might take you through streets shared with cars. Although traffic is usually slow, you need to watch out for vehicles. Pay extra attention while visiting the Anderson Street parking lot.
On the Family Day long weekend, there’s nothing more pleasing than a portrait of families playing in the snow.
Winter portrait at Jonathan Rogers Park
I checked the VMF map and couldn’t resist taking yet another route after the first two. This one is not part of the VMF Winter Arts and therefore doesn’t end by February 28th unlike the others. You might argue that it’s not as picturesque as it is with a ‘white background’. It’s on the west side of Main Street between Broadway and 2nd, so you don’t have to cross any major roads.
It starts at the 99 B-Line bus stop at Main-Broadway and guides you through alleys and calmer areas off Main: easier for crossing streets and getting a much better view of the murals.
I acknowledge that I didn’t document all of the art pieces that are within our routes, but sure hope you liked these teasers and it urges you to get out and enjoy these yourself. You can find the full list of artists and pieces on their app and their website.
Happy walking!
This blog post is written by BEST’s Isabel Garcia. #walkability
