Want to witness murals in the making, ask artists questions, eat food and enjoy live music? Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival might be just the place for you this weekend.

“It’s really a chance to get out and explore our neighborhood,” Creative Enterprise director Angela Casselton said.

Since 2019, the Chroma Zone festival has celebrated muralists and art in St. Paul. Chroma Zone artists typically begin painting murals in May and finish in September, just in time for the festivities. The festival is back this fall as Thursday, Friday and Saturday are jam packed with free afternoon and evening art events for all ages.

“We just work all summer long to make the murals happen,” Casselton said.

The kickoff starts 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Urban Growler, 2325 Endicott St., with an artist meet and greet, panel discussion, music, food and drinks available for purchase. Local artists speaking in the panel include Juliette Perine Meyers, Jordan Hamilton, Xilam Balam and Thomasina Top Bear.

Friday’s experience runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Baker Court building at 821 Raymond Ave., featuring a live painting demo, Indigenous makers market, “Indigenous women on walls” mural tour and a free community meal.

Saturday festivities go from noon to 10 p.m. Juniper Market, which features 20 artist vendors, is open from noon to 6 p.m. A mural tour bus offers a view of the seven new murals in St. Paul from noon to 3 p.m. and hands-on art activities are led by ARTLET26 from 1 to 3 p.m.; those who take the bus tour can receive a free wristband for the annual live music Blocktoberfest event from 4 to 10 p.m. at Dual Citizen Brewing, 725 Raymond Ave.

“It’s fun, it’s very community focused, it’s all about putting identity on this small neighborhood,” Casselton said.

Casselton said that while she loves for people to join the three day festival, Chroma Zone encourages people to visit the murals any day of the year, and maps are located on their website, chromazone.net/maps.

For more information, visit chromazone.net.

Chroma Zone by the numbers

63 of St. Paul’s 73 murals were produced by Chroma Zone
89% of artists are local artists
77% of artists are BIPOC
57% of artists are women

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