FREE outdoor lights and arts festival coming to Victoria next week

VMF Winter Arts Festival (Gabriel Martins/Submitted)

Warm weather continues to stick around Victoria, and it’s perfect timing because the Winter Arts Festival is just around the corner.

The popular Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) event comes to the city for the first time from February 16 to 19, with public spaces across downtown being transformed into interactive, open-air galleries.

Winter Arts Festival is also presenting dance parties, food trucks, and live performances on Family Day weekend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Winter Arts Festival (@winterartsfest)

You might also like:

“There are over 20 art installations to discover, as well as over a dozen existing pieces of public art from the City’s collection that will be highlighted along the route,” said lead curator Natalia Lebedinskaia in a release. “My hope is that through these artists’ voices, the Art Walk will offer a brief moment of contemplation, joy, and respite in the darkness of winter at the cusp of spring.”

Winter Arts Festival invites attendees to explore the Art Walk in downtown Victoria from 5 to 9 pm each day. Discover historic landmarks, check out new and existing art installations, and more using the maps available online.

Pythagorythm by Monkey C Interactive (Carrot_ee-33/Submitted)

Winter Arts Hub will also make its Victoria debut from February 16 to 19 at Herald Street Brew Works and Circularity Boutique’s parking lot. There will be live entertainment on Showstream’s new Airstream Stage, food trucks, a mulled wine bar, an artisan market curated by Make Good Party, and more.

Those wanting to keep the party going can check out VMF After Dark, a late-night ticketed 19+ pop-up party taking place in Victoria for the first time on February 17. The official dance party happening at Hermann’s Upstairs Lounge is curated by Resonance Collective with live art hosted by Crave Fluidity.

Attendees can also head to the Royal BC Museum on February 18 for Winter Arts Fest Dialogue: Light & Language, featuring artists Brett Gaylor, Kemi Craig and Yam Lau; Jamila Douhaibi from the BC Black History Awareness Society; and lead curator Natalia Lebedinskaia.

VMF Winter Arts (Gabriel Martins/Submitted)

“In recognition of the United Nations’ Decade of Indigenous Languages, we’ve chosen this year’s theme to be Light and Language,” said Natalia Lebedinskaia, VMF creative director, in a statement. “Like a warm spotlight in the darkest time of year, the festival uses light as a symbol of illumination, understanding, and connection through art, communication, and technology.”

Winter Arts Festival Victoria 2024

When: February 16 to 19, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations
Cost: Free and ticketed events

Daily Hive is a proud media partner of the VMF Winter Arts Festival

Community Partnership Content

This content was created by Daily Hive's Community Partnerships team.