Wall-To-Wall Mural + Culture Festival Puts Music Centre Stage

Music, visual art, and multimedia collide in Winnipeg in September for the fifth edition of the Wall-To-Wall Mural + Culture Festival. This year's programming offers even more live music with several shows spanning the genres from hip hop and R&B to Icelandic rap. The festivities culminate on Nuit Blanche with not one but two finale events in the city's core. 

Toronto act Bonjay kicks the music off on September 6, bringing its dancehall innovation, indie sentiments, and R&B hooks to The University of Winnipeg Student Association (UWSA) Roll Call 2018. Local acts Malcolm-Jay and DJ Maribeth Tabanera will also be hitting the stage.

Acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya and Too Attached will be performing and speaking at The Asper Centre for Theatre and Film on September 7. Shraya is one half of the sibling-duo, Too Attached, and shares the stage with producer and beatboxer Shamik Bilgii.

The genre-blurring hip hop outfit Grand Analog makes its triumphant return to Winnipeg stomping grounds on September 15 for a show at The Good Will. 

DJ J. Jackson will be making the music happen at the Drag Brunch on September 23 at The Tallest Poppy. Later that night, Reykjavík rap duo CYBER and local record company Fourth Quarter Records invade The Good Will for a music video recording residency and performance presented by núna (now).

The festival closes with two finales on Nuit Blanche, a free exploration and celebration of contemporary art that takes place on the Saturday of the Culture Days weekend from dusk to dawn. Festival partner North End Community Renewal Corporation (NECRC) will be hosting a block party on Sutherland Ave and Main St, curated by sākihiwē festival and feature electronic pop duo AKYLLA, Boogey the Beat, and Studio 393. Roseau River's Sons Of The Drum, presented by Urban Shaman, will performing at the community block party and later into the evening at The Forks.

Wall-To-Wall will also host a series of workshops for youth interested in exploring street art and music with the Graffiti Art Programming, which also runs youth art and music programming through Studio 393. The free weekly visual art and music workshops feature several of this year's performers., including Bonjay on September 6, Skratch Bastid on September 10, Grand Analog on  September 14, and AKYLLA on September 27. Find out more about the workshops

Folks can take in the mural sites and connect with the artists as their create their art through the city, including sites at The Forks Parkade, West Broadway (Stella's, RaY, Khao House, and The Tallest Poppy), West End (University of Winnipeg’s Helen Betty Osborne Building / Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre), and North End (Sutherland Hotel). Find out more about the visual artists

"This year, more than ever, we are thrilled to be presenting a lineup of both visual and musical artists that reflect a wide range of voices from multiple communities. We strive to provide a festival that is accessible to as many people as possible, through multiple venues, styles of art and music, and ways of engaging. We can’t wait to help transform this city for the entire month of September," says Andrew Eastman, co-director and co-curator of Synonym Art Consultation and Wall-to-Wall Festival, in a release.

Launched in 2014 by local arts initiative Synonym Art Consultation, Wall-to-Wall is a mural and culture festival that takes place across Winnipeg, Manitoba on original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation and Treaty 1 Territory. It sees the creation of multiple indoor and outdoor murals across the city and celebrates each new work of art with unique events. The festival culminates with a huge celebration that coincides with Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, bringing together diverse communities around art, music, dance, and more. The festival takes place annually, from September 1-30.

Check out the completed lineup of Wall-To-Wall events at walltowallwpg.com and get the live music listings in the free MB Live app and online listings.