Experience Burnaby’s thriving arts and culture scene at the 2023 Stride Burnaby Arts Festival, hosted by North Burnaby Neighborhood House, from February 3-12. Immerse yourself in a variety of free, accessible and safe art programs for all ages. Explore local art and poetry on the Heights Art Walk, admire outdoor art installations, participate in workshops, and groove to live music. The festival culminates with Art After Dark at Confederation Park on February 12th and an extended Stride art exhibit at Shadbolt’s Centre Aisle Gallery until February 24th.
Will Stride 2023 entertain you? Inspire you? Ignite your curiosity? Absolutely! And more.
With a packed schedule of events, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The Stride Art Walk, Stride Story Walk Poetry Zone, and STRIDE at the Shadbolt offer ongoing opportunities to experience local art and culture. For those who want to get hands-on, workshops like the Exquisite Corpse Drawing Workshop, Reconciliation Hearts, and Culture Chats Story Time provide the chance to create and learn. Music lovers can enjoy concerts like the Celtic Kitchen Party concert and the Skabala Duo concert. The Popup art installation and Art After Dark – In The Park offer even more ways to engage with the local arts scene. So whether you’re a seasoned art enthusiast or just looking for a fun and educational experience, the 2023 Stride Burnaby Arts Festival has something for everyone.
WHERE & WHEN IS IT?
This unique festival will take place in various locations throughout north Burnaby from February 3-12. To find out the specific times of each event, check the Stride Arts Festival website or read on below. Whether you are coming by car or public transport, accessing the festival locations is easy. Parking should be close by for those driving, and for those taking public transport, the TransLink website is a helpful resource to plan your visit and find the nearest bus or sky train stop to each event.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Stride Art Walk
The Stride Arts Festival transforms the Heights business district into a temporary outdoor art gallery. Follow the Art Walk Map and take a peek through the front windows of participating local shops and businesses where you’ll experience amazing artworks by talented Burnaby visual artists. Additional pieces might be inside, too. So, from February 3-12, pop in, warm up and enjoy. Grabbing a coffee and running errands have never been so inspiring!
Stride Story Walk
Willingdon Linear Park connects neighbourhoods and during the 2023 Stride Burnaby Arts Festival it will also connect us with some of Burnaby‘s inspired and inspiring artists. This open-air installation of art and stories collected by Stride partner We Are Burnaby sparks our curiosity and reminds us how the arts can enrich and strengthen a community. Taking place the duration of the festival.
Stride Poetry Zone
The art of the written word is on display in the Stride Poetry Zone, one more way to add art to your day as you shop and stroll the Heights. Read for yourself how diverse and fun poetry can be! Look for our bright yellow poems on the poster columns at each intersection along Hastings St. between Ingleton and Madison Avenue. Taking place the duration of the festival.
CONNECTED – Stride Art at the Shadbolt
The CONNECTED exhibition is a special part of the February 3-12 Stride Burnaby Arts Festival and its energy carries right through to February 23. Experience diverse visual artworks by many of our Stride artists all in one place, the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts – Centre Aisle Gallery. Community connections never looked so good! Find the Shadbolt’s location and hours online.
PechaKucha
Stride partner PechaKucha Burnaby will take the mic at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on the evening of February 11, 2023. A diverse roster of presenters (including Stride photographic artist Glen Govier) will come together with a Creative Connections theme.
PechaKucha (Japanese for “chit chat”) is the world’s fastest-growing storytelling platform, used by millions around the globe. PechaKucha is what “Show and Tell” always dreamed of becoming. 20 slides. 20 seconds of commentary per slide. That’s it. Simple. Engaging. Spurring authentic connections. PechaKucha is the ideal tool to share passions and drop some knowledge. Global innovators use the PechaKucha platform to create powerful, visually-compelling stories that move audiences in less than 7 minutes.
Burnaby Art Calling (Free Little Art Gallery)
4191 Hastings St. (by Dairy Queen)
Burnaby’s newest public art experience, this free little art gallery sends a message to residents and visitors alike: Our community is strengthened by the arts and by creativity in all its forms!’ Make art – Take art – Leave art
GRAND OPENING on February 4 from 1-2:30pm. Stop by, meet the founding artists and add your own small creative piece to display in this inaugural ‘exhibition’. Just one more way that Burnaby connects through the arts. This is YOUR gallery so we encourage you to make art, take art and leave art on the big day and well into the future.
Art After Dark
Confederation Park Picnic Area
Feb 12th, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Curated by Stride Festival co-chairs and playful artists Grant Withers and Yunuen Perez Vertti, Art After Dark is a free, all-ages popup arts experience. Let’s celebrate Stride’s closing night at this illuminating mixed media art installation in Burnaby’s Confederation Park – forested urban picnic spot by day and glowing, light and soundscape by night.
Skabala — Modal Musings
Feb 4th, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Skabala duo presents a 40 minute set of modal improvisation with bodhran,guitar and flute fusing indian,middle eastern and celtic music. Inspiration for this music is taken from elemental sounds of water and wind and the music aims to provide a calm reflection on connection.
Exquisite Corpse Workshop
Feb 5th 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Join artists Jennie Johnston & Dorothy Doherty for a spontaneous art historical afternoon. Learn about the history of artists and creatives using Exquisite Corpse exercises to create surreal, intuitive and wacky works of art in collaboration. And then create a piece with other attendees to the workshop. Exquisite Corpse games involve artists and/or creatives working together to create a drawing in collaboration with a fun twist: the other people drawing can not see what you are doing! Using theme-based prompts, participants will draw side by side but not be able to see what others are doing and all will be revealed at the end. Register.
Skabala — Modal Musings
North Burnaby Neighbourhood House
Feb 11th 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Please join visual artist Marika Morissette for a live demonstration of fluid art techniques on Saturday, February 11th from 10:30 am to 12 pm at the North Burnaby Neighbourhood House, located at 4908 Hastings street. Learn how she prepares and mixes her paints to achieve the right consistency for pouring. Watch Marika in action as she creates three original paintings using different approaches such as flip cup, tilting, swiping, blowing, and bottle bottom pours. She will share a few secrets on how she produces stunning, colourful and bright cells in her creations. Register.
Celtic Kitchen Party
Feb 10th 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Long ago in rural Canada, the kitchen was a community hub. People would gather in a neighborhood kitchen to socialize, tell stories, play music and dance. Join us for our “Celtic Kitchen” event where we hope to recreate the atmosphere of the community kitchen party. We’ll present lively tunes, soulful songs and compelling stories to warm you on a winter’s night. Bring your dancing shoes and dance with your friends and neighbors! Register.
Reconciliation Hearts
North Burnaby Neighbourhood House
Feb 11th 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
This workshop blends fabric art, learning about Indigenous issues, and gift-making. Participants will explore Indigenous truth and reconciliation and make fabric hearts for donating to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. Register.