In what’s an inspiring break from the way things have played out for most West Coast arts organizations in 2020, the Vancouver Mural Fest is not only going ahead this year, but is actually expanding in scope.

To celebrate its fifth year, VMF will feature 60 new murals in nine different neighbourhoods. Where Mount Pleasant was orginally ground zero a half-decade ago, look for works in the West End, River District, Marploe, South Granville, Gastown, Strathcona, and more.

This year’s VMF takes place over an expanded three weeks and will see 60 new works added to Vancouver’s urban landscape. For those looking to make the most of their time away from daily home quarantining, a new app will help pinpoint murals around the city.

In a release, VMF executive director David Vertesi suggested the fest is more important than ever considering it can be hard to get together with others in a COVID-19 world.

“Connecting and supporting artists and communities is at the core of what VMF is about,” he said. “We started five years ago with a vision to transform the way our city sees art. Over 250 murals later, we’re proud of how far we’ve come. This year we’ve had to adapt our festival to changing conditions but we’re more energized than ever to make a difference in even more communities through art!”

Here’s a shortlist of some of the highlights of this year’s festival.

• Aug.18: Vancouver Mural Festival mobile App launches
• Aug.18-Sept.7: VMF Pop-Up Patio featuring Live Music, Comedy, Drag, and more. Aug.18-Sept.7: VMF: Year 5 Art Exhibit (online) featuring 100+ original works of art by VMF alumni and local artists. All originals and limited prints will be available for sale.
• Aug.18: VMF Curator Talks (online) - learn about VMF’s curation process with Lead Curator Drew Young, Graffiti Curator Scott Sueme and 2020 Guest Curators, Krystal Paraboo and Sierra Tasi Baker.
• Aug.18-Sept.7: Free Daily Mural Tours presented by Herschel Supply.
• Aug.18-Sept.18: Downtown Shopfront Mural Exhibit at the Pendulum Gallery.
• On-going: Artists painting 60+ murals throughout the city

Go to vanmuralfest.ca for more information.