If watching paint dry sounds like a boring weekend activity to you then you’ve never been to Grindstone Theatre’s Mural Massive. Fifteen artists will paint 12 murals over the course of a weekend. Oh, and there’ll be live entertainment, food trucks, a vendor market and an underground art auction.
“A lot of people came last year, and it was really the highlight of 2020,” says Byron Martin, artistic director and founder of Grindstone Theatre. “We just had a lot of people come up to us last year being like, ‘This made my year.’ So, we just wanted to do it again and this year we’re boosting the programming.”
The event is described as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” event, meaning there are lots of different ways to spend the day. Explore the murals scattered around the Old Strathcona area, watch the various comedy shows, or dance the night away at the afterparties.
The comedy line up includes Natasha Lyn Miles, Brad Semotiuk, Caroline Stokes and the Grindstone Improv Clubhouse. There will be musical performances from Tiff Hall, The Steadies, Jeff Hendrick and Better Living DJs. The talented artists working on the murals include Creeasian, Rory Lee, Brie Adkins and more.
The Grindstone Theatre Mural Massive spans two weekends for south and north events. The south event will take place September 10 to 12 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event will span along 81st Avenue between 100th Street and 101st Street. The north event is on September 18 from noon to 10 p.m. at 104th Street Armstrong Block. Tickets for the events are available in advance online or at the door.
