The 5th year of Sand On Whyte is back in Old Strathcona, and this final weekend, you’ll also have the pleasure of strolling down the street with hundreds of local art vendors.

Sand On Whyte 2017 celebrates Canada 150 with not only Canadian features, but sand carvings depicting stories connected to Old Strathcona itself. Alex Decoteau and Anthony Henday are only a couple of the personalities you’ll find at the event this year, which opened up with the Historic Festival and Doors Open last weekend. A locomotive welcomes you as you enter, fitting considering the location is on top of a recently removed CP Rail line. And a bonus, both artists Peter Vogelaar and Guy-Olivier Deveau this year are Canadian!

Particularly special for the occasion is the Canada 150 mural, compiled by local company Mural Mosaic. Participants at Ice On Whyte painted the tiles which make up this 8×12 foot tile mosaic of an Old Strathcona streetcar from the Edmonton Radial Railway Society. Mural Mosaic outdid themselves this year with an ambitious cross-country project, creating 150 murals of trains across the country, reflecting the history of the railway which connected and built Canada from coast to coast.

While in Old Strathcona this weekend, you won’t miss the over 450 local artist vendors as part of the Whyte Avenue Art Walk, unquestionable the largest artist exhibition in Edmonton.

If you’re in Old Strathcona on the Saturday, Linda Brown (@lindork) will also be heading a special Instagrammable Walls of Old Strathcona tour from 1-4pm. Check it out here. If you miss it, do your own mural tour using this Yegventures mural map here.

The parking lot to the Old Strathcona Farmers Market is free as well, so you’ll be at the centre of all which is local this Saturday, July 8, 2017. Of course, while you’re there, take a trip to Grandin on the High Level Bridge Streetcar for less than the cost of an ETS bus ride! And we’ll let you in on a little secret free Radial Railway Museum while you wait.

From Sand on Whyte 2015:

Here’s some of the artists featured from a previous year of the Art Walk, also from 2015.

Old Strathcona Farmers Market video-essay: