Following the ringing success of last year’s Loop Mural Festival, the event is back and better than before. Four muralists will finish up big new public art on the Delmar Loop this weekend, which is a fun process to watch. But there’s even more to enjoy this year: The mural painting goes from May 30–June 1, with a street-wide party this Saturday, May 31.
“Last year was our inaugural year, and we learned a lot,” says Jessica Bueler, marketing specialist for Explore UCity. “The No. 1 thing we learned was that people wanted to get involved in the art.”
Stay up-to-date with the local arts scene
Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.
So roll up your sleeves. The Tivoli parking lot will be converted into two sections for free, participatory art on Saturday. One section will have 100 ornaments in the shape of a lion head—the mascot of the festival—that kids can decorate and take with them. The other section, for both kids and adults, will have giant lion head cutouts, and anyone can add their own flair to the leonine artworks. After the festival, they’ll be hung in public places across U. City, such as the library and community center.
The Tivoli parking lot will also have inflatable blowup games and a DJ. In the farmers’ market area, a few blocks west, three live bands will be rocking out. And the parking lot of Fitz’s Delmar will be full of kid-friendly options, courtesy of Craft Alliance.
The Budding Artists event runs Saturday alongside the murals and participatory art. Eighty artists with less than five years of experience will have their work on display and for sale in businesses along the Loop. “It’s an opportunity for them to use our platform and the Delmar Loop to connect with the community,” says Bueler.
The main murals will also add more character to the Loop. During last year’s event, Ian the Painter worked on a mural on the side of Vintage Vinyl. This year, he’s back to put up an imagined future version of digging in the crates on the back of the building. Alex Jove will continue the lion-themed work that he did on the parking garage last year. Natasha Platt’s piece on the Tivoli building is in conversation with the work that Cbabi Bayoc put there last year. And Louise Jones is enveloping all eight floors of the Starbucks Building in entwined roses.
“What a wonderful time to have this beautiful artwork and to find the beauty in everything,” says Bueler.
