Up Fest transforms downtown Sudbury

The inaugural Up Fest transformed Sudbury's downtown core over the weekend.

The most obvious change – and perhaps the most permanent – was the addition of seven new murals to the downtown core.

Muralists from Sudbury, and as far away as San Francisco, added new splashes of colour and long-lasting pieces of art to different corners of the downtown.

When the festival got into the full swing of things Saturday, part of Durham Street was closed to traffic to accommodate a stage and a number of art installations, including a painted cement truck.

By the time festival headliners A Tribe Called Red hit the Durham Street stage by 10 p.m., a sea of people packed the streetscape as their heart-thumping electronic beats reverberated off the surrounding buildings.

Festival director Christian Pelletier said it was his intention to host the festival downtown from the start.

“Downtown Sudbury has great venues. It has great walls to put colour on. It has great people. It has a great cultural scene,” he said. “It's the heart of culture in Northern Ontario.”

Pelletier said the Emerging Music Festival in Rouyn-Noranda inspired him to team up with his We Live Up Here collaborators – including festival artistic director Andrew Knapp – and the city's artistic community to launch Up Fest.

Rouyn-Noranda, a small city in northern Quebec, has a lot in common with Sudbury, Pelletier said.

Both are mining towns, and have prominent smelters that dominate their landscapes.

Both cities are also somewhat secluded from the cultural centres of their respective provinces.

But Rouyn-Noranda's Emerging Music Festival has thrived for more than 10 years, and has attracted world-class artists that have helped the small city punch above its expected cultural weight.

Up Fest also managed to attract artists from across Canada, who have had global success.

Saturday headliners A Tribe Called Red recently performed in front of a television audience in the millions during the opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Toronto.

The Ottawa group's members – whose music combines electronic dance beats with First Nations music – have become some of the most visible ambassadors for Aboriginal youth and the social issues they face on a daily basis.

Similarly, Thursday headliner Tanya Tagak has transported the traditional Inuit throat singing of her ancestors into a contemporary context.

The acclaimed artist has collaborated with Icelandic musician Bjork on numerous occasions.

But nearly half of Up Fest's musical performers were from Northern Ontario, said Pelletier.

He said they proved to be just as accomplished as the musical acts that visited the city for the festival.

Pelletier added he was blown away by the support Up Fest received across the city.

Around 120 people signed up to volunteer for the festival, and even Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger got in on the fun at the festival launch event Thursday evening.

The mayor tried his hand at being a DJ for the evening.

With the inaugural festival done, Pelletier said he already can't wait for next year.

“It's a little overwhelming to get that much trust from the community right away for a first edition,” he said.