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Surprise shows, new murals at Sudbury’s Up Here Festival

The Up Here Festival is on this weekend in Greater Sudbury – featuring urban art and emerging musicians in the city’s core.

Muralists can been seen at work painting large scale works of art in the downtown. Music will also fill Durham Street and other surprise locations in the core.

Part of Durham Street in downtown Sudbury is closed off for the celebration – although artists are also scattered in the downtown area painting large scale pieces.

"Urban art is super important to building community,” said We Live Up Here general manager Jaymie Latham.

“It's also important to reflect the community and kind of really identify the folks that live within the city of Sudbury."

Festival organizers said the event draws many tourists to the city.

"The festival started in 2015 as this small little wacky idea and it's grown into this beautiful big project that brings people from across the province and from across the country here together,” said co-founder Christian Pelletier.

“It's pretty cool to see our tourism numbers we are at 28% so that is one in three people that are showing up at the festival who are from out of town."

At the kick off to the Up Here Festival the mayor Paul Lefebvre highlighted its economic impact.

"We are looking at over $5 million of economic spin off over the past nine years of this festival alone,” said Lefebvre.

“The economic spin off is one thing and all the jobs it creates. At the same time on the mural side the long lasting visual impact in our community I think is worth all the investments that we are making."

Downtown Sudbury is the major sponsor of the festival and officials agree it has a lasting impact.

"Like any festival there is just a great vibe of all the people around. But one of the amazing things about this festival is it lasts well beyond the weekend,” said Jeff MacIntyre, founder of Marketing Hounds in the city core and former chair of the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Area.

“The amazing international artists that come down put murals on our walls and we have people tour downtown Sudbury all year long looking at the great art that has been put up."

Organizers said surprise shows happen in secret locations throughout the weekend.

Notifications are sent out only 15-20 minutes before the shows begin on the free Up Here app

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