HOLD FAST 2026: Art Crawl

Art Crawl, August 15th, 2026, 2-6pm

• HOLD FAST
• HOLD FAST 2026

Art Crawl Map:

Featured Artists:

To learn more about the featured artists, their projects, and their workshops, click here.

1. Melissa Tremblett: 300 Years // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, near the courthouse, performances at 2:30, 4:30, 5:30

For the 2026 Art Crawl, I will be combining installation and spoken word as a response to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador changing their stance on the accepted timeline of Innu presence in Labrador. Using updated archaeological evidence, the province insists the Innu have only been present for 300 years, while also claiming Europeans have been here for 500 years.

2. Shanelle St. Hilaire: Wallerfall // The Lot on Harbour, 2-6pm

Waterfall is an installation made out of innumerable strands of glass beads of various sizes and shades. It was created as a substitute for moving bodies of water in the winter months, when we lose access to swimming in natural moving water. Waterfall encapsulates the cool feeling of gentle water trickling on the body. This is a multi-sensory piece: visual, audio, and tactile, allowing the interactor to walk through the work, feeling the strands tickle their skin and hearing the glass beads tinkling against one another. This reminds us to appreciate water and the land we are on.

3. Nora de Mariaffi: Close to You // Alt Hotel, Back Patio, 2-6pm

Building on personal and familial histories of sewing and textile labour, Close To You examines the evolving role of clothing-making beyond necessity, positioning garment creation as a means of storytelling and connection. By pairing surrealism and humour with reflections on touch, care, and post-pandemic social behaviour, Close To You invites audiences to reconsider the emotional and physical possibilities embedded within everyday clothing. In the post-pandemic, pro-virtual world, physical intimacy is increasingly met by caution, distance, and self-awareness, transforming even the most ordinary gestures of affection into conscious acts. Close To You explores this ongoing cultural shift through a series of three fibre art clothing pieces designed to be worn by two at once. These garments—a two-headed sweater, a shirt for hugging, and a three-legged pair of shorts — investigate how clothing can not only reflect intimacy, but actively require it.

4. Chelsea Dab Hilke & Fred Schmidt-Arenales: SOMETHING’S HAPPENING IN THE BATTERY (and there’s nothing you can do about it) // Performance will start at Harbourside Park at 3pm, and end at O’Brien’s Park (across the street from the Battery Cafe)

After a long fight, the neighbourhood formerly known as The Battery is lost. Please join us for a final celebration of what it was and what it meant to us all. This will be a chance to remember, mourn, celebrate, and share space with others who also loved this beautiful, unique, historic neighborhood. Funeral and/or celebratory attire is encouraged.

Pop-Ups:

5. NL Highlanders Pipe Band // Water Street Pedestrian Mall,, 2-6pm

Opening Ceremony with the Newfoundland Highlanders Pipe Band.The Newfoundland Highlanders Pipe Band has been serving the province for over 50 years. We are made up of Scottish bagpipers, snare drummers, and a bass drummer.

7. UVIO: UVIO FM // Eastern Edge Parking Lot, 2-6pm

UVIO FM is a live pop-up performance built to feel like tuning into a late-night radio station. Across five to seven original songs, UVIO will sing selected parts over backing tracks and guide the audience between songs through radio-style transitions. Printed concept artworks will be displayed around the performance, bringing the masked identity and world of UVIO into a physical space. The music moves through love, desire, heartbreak, isolation, and finding your way back to yourself. UVIO FM is not meant to feel like a regular set, it is a short broadcast from inside the world behind the music. UVIO is a new anonymous R&B artist building a world around late-night emotion, honest writing, and cinematic sound. The mask gives UVIO a way to keep the focus on the feeling and the music rather than the person behind it. Through original songs and a developing visual identity, UVIO is creating something personal, immersive, and still growing in real time.

8. Downtown Comics // Eastern Edge Studio, 2-6pm

Join Downtown Comics at Eastern Edge during the Art Crawl for a special zine table! Since 1997, Downtown Comics has been a beloved part of St. John’s creative community, bringing comics, graphic novels, collectibles, games, and more to comic fans across the city.

9. Arts & Aging “The Old School Bus” // Eastern Edge parking lot, 2-6pm

“The Old School Bus has been retrofitted into a programming space designed to bring people together. Our participatory programming makes it possible for the young and old alike to take part and enjoy being creative together. Self-led expressions and visual arts activities are available on board. Our bus is accessible via a lift. Make art, paint the bus, sing with us, or play a game from our collection!”

10. Urban Sketchers // Eastern Edge Studio, 72 Harbour Drive, 3-5pm

Urban Sketchers St. John’s is a volunteer-run community of artists who gather to sketch on location throughout St. John’s and the surrounding region. We welcome everyone—from complete beginners to experienced artists—to explore, create, and connect through drawing while celebrating the places and moments that make our community unique. We are thrilled to be part of this year’s Art Crawl! Find us Facebook, Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter here. online here.

11. Kimia Rezaeinejad: Windows of Vision // Water Street Pedestrian Mall,, 2-6pm

Windows of Vision explores storytelling through pattern, colour, and intricate detail. In this collection, Persian artist Kimia Rezaeinejad brings together architecture, heritage, memory, and place, creating layered compositions that invite viewers to discover multiple narratives within a single page.

Kimia Rezaeinejad is a Persian artist based in St. John’s. Her drawings use intricate patterns, vibrant colour, and layered composition to tell stories beyond words. Bringing multiple narratives onto a single page, her work reimagines heritage, architecture, and life through a contemporary visual language rooted in memory, culture, and place.

12. Kenney Purchase & Carrisa Cooper: My Space // Water Street Pedestrian Mall,, 2-6pm

My Space, is an art installation that explores themes of vulnerability, community and authenticity. A bedroom set will be created in a public space and decorated, using poetry, sculpture and mixed media art, created by both artists. Visitors are encouraged to participate by looking around, engaging with the poetry, opening drawers, looking under pillows, finding hidden notes and art that thread together the inner psyche of neurodivergence. There will be supplies provided for others to leave poetry, doodles of their own or even just sign their name to let others know that this was also, for a brief moment, their space as well. To hold space.

Kenney Purchase (they/them) is a visual artist, poet and musician from St. John’s, NL who has an imaginative and grounded approach to turning everything into art. They create worlds and interactive art installations under the pseudonym Ripgloss. Carrisa Cooper is an interdisciplinary artist from Edmonton Alberta who uses mixed media and elements from nature to create artworks that speak to the soul. She is an advocate for bringing accessible art knowledge to neurodiverse and queer spaces.

13. Neighbours United & Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter  // The Lot on Harbour, 2-6pm

Join Neighbours United and Sierra Club Canada Foundation during the Art Crawl as they take to the streets for community conversations! Through a series of street interviews, they’ll be inviting everyday residents to share their thoughts on the future of our province and what actions governments can take to move us toward greater energy sovereignty.

14. Luca Jesse Apel: Live Carving // The LOT on Harbour, 2-6pm

Luca Jesse Apel is a wood carver, a mask-maker, and a lifelong nomad. Rather than imposing predetermined forms, he collaborates with the wood’s imperfections: knots, cracks, and termite trails inform his designs, drawing parallels between wood and the human body in concepts of scarring, resilience, growth, and decay. Come watch a sculpture come to life and learn how it’s done at this live carving demonstration. Wood power-carver Luca Jesse Apel will be working on his latest project while discussing technique, tools, and inspiration.

15. SNSB: Story of the Mighty Lion and the Wise Hare // The LOT on Harbour, 2-6pm

Sai Nrityadhee School of Bharatanatyam (SNSB) is a St. John’s-based dance school dedicated to sharing the beauty of Indian classical dance through performance, education, and community engagement. Led by founder Shweta Mohan, SNSB creates inclusive, family-friendly experiences that celebrate storytelling, cultural exchange, and the artistic talents of young performers.

16. NL Queer Research Initiative // Water Street Pedestrian Mall,, 2-6pm

The NL Queer Research Initiative was established to facilitate the collection and preservation of histories, archival materials, knowledge, and research pertaining to the 2SLGBTQI+ community Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization works directly with the 2SLGBTQI+ community through education and outreach programming. They currently run the largest 2SLGBTQ+ library in the province, and regularly run events for youth and seniors alike in the community.

Please join us for our zine making event! Participants are invited to explore some queer history, whether it’s about NL queer history, a certain historical event, or someone’s personal history (maybe even your own story!). Zines allow you to explore a topic in your own unique way.

17. Spinning a Yarn with the St. John’s Spinsters // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-6 pm

Want to see how wool turns into yarn? Come join local spinners as they demonstrate wool processing and spinning! All spinners are welcome to join as well. The Spinsters are a group of friends brought together by a love of spinning. Their aim is to explore local fibres, processing techniques, and to promote craft education.

18. Hadiza Bello: Patterns of Presence // Johnny Ruth, 183 Water Street, 2-6 pm

Patterns of Presence is an ongoing series that brings together hand-beaded panels inspired by the vibrant patterns of Ankara fabric, exploring memory, cultural identity, and the beauty of slow making. Through intricate beadwork mimicking textiles, the work reflects on heritage, belonging, and the stories carried through cloth across generations.

Hadiza Bello is a Nigerian visual artist based in NL. Her interdisciplinary practice explores Black experiences, cultural memory, and the resilience of African diasporic traditions. Her work engages critically with questions of race, representation, and belonging, centering Black life and experiences.

19. St. Michael’s Printshop // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-4pm

The mobile press is on the move! St. Michael’s Printshop is bringing the mobile press to the HOLD FAST Festival for an afternoon of relief printmaking. Participants can try their hand at rolling out ink, placing pre-carved blocks on the press, and cranking the handle to create relief prints on coloured paper! This live printing activity is perfect for participants of any age and skill-level.

20. Quidi Vidi Brewery: Samples and Giveaway // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-6pm

Join Eastern Edge and HOLD FAST Festival’s incredible sponsor Quidi Vidi Brewery in the Pedestrian Mall for samples of their Iceberg Non-Alcoholic beer, and play a round of cornhole for free swag prizes!

21. Atlas Acidosis: The Market Puppet: All Drag is Valid, Not All Drag is Bookable // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-6 pm

The Market Puppet: All Drag is Valid, Not All Drag is Bookable is an interactive live singing drag performance where audience members can pause, skip, or select songs from Atlas Acidosis’ set list, shaping the performance in real time. The project explores how artists are shaped by audience demand, marketability, and the pressure to be bookable while asking what it means to keep singing anyway.

Atlas Acidosis is Newfoundland’s favourite singing drag king and the artist behind Dream Haus Productions. Since starting drag in 2025, Atlas has seen exceptional career growth, performing with Gander Pride, Quidi Vidi Brewery, and Theatre Hill and singing crowd-favourite covers by Michael Bublé, The Fray, and musical theatre numbers from Wicked, Kinky Boots, and more. Fluent in French and Italian, he sometimes sings in all three languages. His drag blends psychedelic neon, electronica and club-scene vibrancy, maps, international inspirations, synthetic and natural colours, and a charming, goofy flair.

22. Hanushika Thurairajah: Threads of Resistance // Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-6 pm

“Threads of Resistance” invites the public to weave together a collective panel using recycled and reclaimed materials, transforming waste into community art. One by one, participants add their thread to a growing textile that celebrates shared creativity, resilience, and connection. The finished panel will live on as part of Hanushika Thurairajah’s 2027 (Inter)sectionality showcase.

Hanushika Thurairajah is a queer artist and passionate advocate for Indigenous rights whose work bridges fashion, textiles, and community. Holding a BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textile Design and a Master’s in Education, she challenges textile norms while honouring existing cultures, believing art is inseparable from voice, identity, and survival.

23. Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador// Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-4pm

24. Admiralty House Museum// Water Street Pedestrian Mall, 2-6pm

Come visit Admiralty House Communications Museum at the Hold Fast Art Crawl! Try your hand at helping pigeons fly down the runway (it’s cornhole, but PIGEON cornhole. Pigeonhole) and learn how to tie some nautical knots. Admiralty House Museum is a small not-for-profit museum dedicated to preserving our building’s history as a secret First World War wireless station, and the history of Mount Pearl as a whole.

25. Jordan Smith: Art Vending Machine // Water Street Pedestrian Mall,, 2-6pm

This vending machine is stocked with original art instead of snacks. Twist the dial to drop a free, mystery mini print. It’s a completely analog, screen-free interaction that gives you a physical piece of local art to take home.

Jordan Smith is a printmaker based in St. John’s, Ktaqmkuk/NL. Working out of St. Michael’s Printshop, Jordan focuses on screenprinting, etching, and relief printing.