I’m excited to announce my next round of physically distant Instagrammable Wall Photo Walk & Food Crawl, this time along Old Strathcona / Whyte Avenue August 8 and 9th presented by the Old Strathcona Business Association!
The physically distant walks feature smaller groups (max 10 participants per walk). Participants are encouraged to wear masks and maintain at least a 6 feet distance from one another (this should be easier as it will be outdoors, and there will only be 10 of us). Participants are also encouraged to bring and use hand sanitizer (I will provide hand sanitizer for those who need it). Food items are all to-go, and will be packed individually and can be picked up inside the restaurant one-by-one with limited surface contact.
Because of the smaller groups, I’m offering this walk at four separate times.
The walk dates are:
- Saturday, August 8 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday, August 8 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Sunday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, August 9 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This is how the tickets will be released:
- Wednesday, July 29 Newsletter Subscribers:
- Tickets released for August 8 – 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Walk #1) and 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Walk #2)
- Subscribe to my newsletter
- Thursday, July 30 Facebook Group Members:
- Tickets released for August 9 – 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Walk #3) time slot
(and any previous slots that haven’t been taken) - Join the Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Facebook Group
- Tickets released for August 9 – 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Walk #3) time slot
- Friday, July 30 Public / Social Media:
- Tickets released for August 9 – 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Walk #4) time slot
(and any remaining slots that haven’t been taken)
- Tickets released for August 9 – 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Walk #4) time slot
Ticket price: $25 per person
20% of ticket sales donated to Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society (Edmonton).
Bent Arrow has been serving Indigenous children, youth and families in Edmonton and area since 1994 with culture, employment, housing and other programs to help individuals grow spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.
THANK YOU to the Old Strathcona Business Association for sponsoring this walk!!!
What you get with your ticket:
- A guided tour of Old Strathcona – Whyte Avenue, led by me, with stops at various Instagrammable Walls and Instagrammable spaces, fun facts about the neighbourhood and arts in general in the area
- A take-home polaroid at a wall of your choice
- A printed wall walk route guide
- Three food/drink stops
- Note: I cannot guarantee these stops will be able to accommodate dietary restrictions. Please do not book if you’re not comfortable not knowing the food options in advance.
BUY TICKETS
- Saturday, August 8 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
- Saturday, August 8 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
- Sunday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
- Sunday, August 9 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ON SALE!)
Due to physical distancing and a smaller group of participants, no kids tickets are available for this walk. (If you’d like to come with kids, you are welcome, but please purchase a General Admission Ticket). Also max tickets one person can purchase is 2 (due to the smaller group size).
Please note: this is all pandemic pending. Although we are in a reopened stage, if cases climb before the walk dates and things start to shut down, that will impact this walk. Please do not come on this walk if you are sick. Depending on how things go, this event may also be cancelled. Refunds will be issued if the event is cancelled.
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The Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA)‘s mission is to foster a thriving business district that is inviting to patrons, tourists and businesses. They work to accomplish this by improving things like safety, public space, and beautification of the area through art, flowers and lights. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic the association has worked closely with businesses to ensure they have access to valuable resources that serve to strengthen the resiliency of the district; while also advocating for their needs to all levels of government.
This summer, the Old Strathcona Business Association worked with local artist and design studio Amos Kanjer-Nonnekes of DESIGN, et cetera, on a re-painting of the Spur Line Alley (Rainbow Road!), part of a bigger project to enhance the expanded sidewalk space between Gateway Blvd and 105th street. Adding picnic tables, flowers and paint, helps to define the space for pedestrian use and provided both more room to enjoy the avenue, with physical distancing in mind; and additional patio space to accommodate restaurant capacity limits during the pandemic!
Thank you everyone for your interest in Instagrammable Walls, exploring Edmonton communities, and supporting art/artists and fun initiatives!
Be sure to join the Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Facebook Group to stay up to date on wall walks, and share any walls you discover as you’re out and about in Edmonton!
You’re also always welcome and encouraged to explore the city on your own self-guided walks year-round too! You can use this Guide to Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton (which includes a fair bit of walls but certainly not all of them, and I’m always behind on new additions!) to help you plan your own exploration.
But if you’d like a more curated experience, would love to have you come on a tour with me!
What is an Instagrammable Wall?
An Instagrammable Wall is basically an interesting-looking wall that makes a great backdrop for a photo of yourself or your friends, posted on social media (probably Instagram).
Instagrammable Walls can be mural walls, bold, colourful walls, graffiti walls, interesting textured-walls—you name it. They are walls that you’d describe as “Instagrammable” (or photographable and shareable online). Instagrammable Walls are not only murals, however there are many murals that are most certainly Instagrammable and in Edmonton, and lots more Instagrammable murals have been added in the city over the years thanks to the efforts of Rust Magic Street Art Festival and Real Fresh Canvas, Next Fest Arts Festival, Edmonton Arts Council, Arts on the Ave, and many more arts-based projects, programs, and independent, local artists or commissions by arts-lovin’ business / building owners (more of that place!)
Instagrammable Walls add beauty to a city, and attracts people to a location that might otherwise not be frequented. Walls can often surprise you. My general rule of thumb is that an Instagrammable Wall needs to look pretty neat and be photographable with YOU at the base of it.
What is a Photo Walk?
A Photo Walk is when a group of people get together and walk around a specific location, finding interesting opportunities and areas for taking pictures. On these Instagrammable Wall Photo Walks you’re encouraged to bring your cameras/phones, cute outfits, water, umbrella (just in case with the darn changing weather forecasts!) and comfortable walking shoes!
When did Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Photo Walks begin?
The first Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Photo Walk took place on Saturday, June 3, 2017 as part of Make Something Edmonton’s 100 in 1 Day transform your city event. I’ve hosted several walks throughout the years since then, and they’ve also evolved—at the beginning they were primarily just a show & tell of nice photo locations, now they are a much more curated, personal experience where I share information about artists and neighbourhood as well!
I also create Guides to Instagrammable Walls in cities I travel!
There’s been such a great response from Edmontonians who want to discover Instagrammable Walls! It’s also become a fantastic way to show visitors to the city a round Edmonton! Ultimately, these guides and walks are meant to help Edmontonians find beauty that’s all around this city, encourage people to explore their city (or the city they’re traveling to), raise the profile of artists behind mural Instagrammable Walls, and spur the creation of more Instagrammable Walls!
Thanks to Edmonton designer Nicola Pringle for creating the Instagrammable Wall logo featured in this post!!
