Winter Arts Festival set to dazzle Vancouver and Victoria

by Kristi Alexandra on January 18th, 2024 at 2:12 PM

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In a move to engage the arts outdoors, the Winter Arts Festival takes place in urban environments—with sculptures, live performances, and, for those who have successfully moved into 21st-century technology, augmented reality.

With activations in both Victoria and Vancouver, there will be lots to take in once the Winter Arts Festival—which is run by the year-round organization responsible for Vancouver Mural Festival—makes its big arrival.

The free festival runs from February 16 to 19 in Victoria, and from February 22 to 27 in Vancouver.

“The Winter Arts Festival provides a platform for artists to experiment, push boundaries, and inspire the community,” says Miriam Esquitín, festival executive director, in a release.

“Whether wandering through the illuminated streets of Victoria or celebrating the festival’s return to Vancouver, Winter Arts Festival promises an enriching and immersive cultural experience. We invite attendees to rediscover familiar streets and city spaces, forging connections through a diverse array of indoor and outdoor events.”

The first activation announced for Vancouver is Blanketing the City: Lighting the Way, running from February 23 to 27. The installation, by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) weaver and designer Debra Sparrow, projects woven Coast Salish patterns onto some of the city’s most recognizable facades. It takes place from sundown until 11pm at Canada Place, Cathedral Square Park, the TELUS Garden, BC Place, Science World, Granville Island, and the Biltmore Cabaret. In addition to the installation is the Thread Runner: an augmented reality “runner” taken from one of Sparrow’s earlier works, that attendees can interact with on the facades.

“Over the past 150 years, Vancouver’s vision of who it was did not include us. Because Coast Salish weaving patterns reflect the land we are on, everyone who is here today can connect to the patterns and be invited into the vision of the identity of this place,” Sparrow says in a statement. “This is a calling. I won’t stop doing what I am doing until I wrap the city in our patterns.”

More events for Vancouver are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.