Hamilton East and the CBD enjoyed a big splash of colour as the Boon Street Art Festival made its return to the city for the eighth time. Video / Danielle Zollichofer
Hamilton East and the CBD are shining in new colours after the Boon Street Art Festival brightened up the city over the weekend.
From November 3 to 5, a crew of seven artists, including New Zealand artists Jesse Mosen, Cinzah, Gary Venn, Kell Sunshine, Haser and Alice Alva,as well as Japanese artist Koryu, have taken on seven local blank walls, most of them along Grey Street, near the newly opened Made market precinct.
Venn, an illustrator from Cambridge, usually works with smaller canvases and was not only part of the festival for the first time, but also created his first mural.
He said he has been a fan of Boon and always wanted to be a part of the festival.
“It was on my wishlist for a long time. It was also very special because my daughter Enid helped me paint some parts of the mural. She is a little artist herself.”
“We already had a festival here in 2017, but we were only able to secure two walls [for murals].”
He said over the three days, the festival had lots of visitors, also thanks to Made. However, he said the fact the festival and the opening of Made had occurred simultaneously was a coincidence.
For the first time, Boon ran an Art Hunt for families, where people were invited to visit all seven mural sites to collect stamps and go in the draw to win a prize. The Art Hunt was so popular, the Boon team ran out of Art Hunt maps.
Gisborne artist Kell Sunshine and Dunedin-based Koryu created murals next to the Made market precinct. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Four of the new murals, painted by Sunshine, Haser, Koryu and Venn, are located on Grey Street. Alva’s mural can be found next to the Hayes Common cafe on Jellicoe Drive, Cinzah’s mural is located on Caro Street, and Mosen’s mural can be found near Norris Ward McKinnon House on Victoria Street.
The annual Boon Street Art Festival is the brainchild of Hamiltonians Pauly B and Charlotte Issac, who share a passion for art and the city.
The duo co-founded Boon in 2015 and have since been bringing artists to create dynamic, interesting art-filled spaces all around the city.
Last year’s festival brightened up Dinsdale and the CBD.
Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined NZME in 2021 and is writing for the Waikato Herald.
