Local placemaking agency and cultural accelerator, Paper Whale, presents the 3rd annual Noisy Waters Mural Festival, taking place at Bellingham's Waterfront on August 15-17, 2025.
Featuring 16 artists from across North America, the family-friendly festival is centered around live mural painting with the goal of activating a wider diversity of artistic representation in the local community. The festival will be offering spray painting workshops, bicycled-powered mural tours, kids and teens painting, artist print sales, a libations bar, live music and DJ’s, 50+ vendors at the Saturday Makers Market, and an upcycled fashion show.
“This is the best mural festival experience I've taken part of, and among the best mural painting experiences I’ve had in my career,” said Paige Bowman, Vancouver, BC, and 2024 Noisy Waters Finalist. “This community has such supportive and loving vibes - the whole experience was a 10/10.”
Nearly 200 artists applied to participate in the festival, and only 8 finalists were selected for an opportunity to paint 8’x8’ murals during the three day event. The general public will vote for their favorite murals created at the event with the top three receiving commissions for large murals in Bellingham. The event will also showcase the third installment of the Indigeversal Collective, a collaborative mural featuring indigenous artists from across North America. Project lead, Savannah LeCornu, said “The Indigeversal Collective is about bringing Indigenous artists together to connect and create, while also uplifting Indigenous voices. It’s important that events like Noisy Waters celebrate Indigenous peoples and art because we still have so much to share and for so long we weren’t allowed to.”
The word “Whatcom” is derived from the Lhaq'temish word Xwot'qom, which translates to “noisy water.”
Event Details
Dates: August 15-17, 2025
Ages: All ages
Price: FREE
Noisy Waters Mural Festival is made FREE and open to the public through support from a City of Bellingham Tourism Grant and will be held at the Portal Container Village at 298 W Laurel Street on Bellingham's Waterfront.
For a schedule of events and a description of performing artists, please visit: www.noisywatersmuralfest.com
About Paper Whale
Paper Whale, a 501(c)3 non-profit, has been activating underutilized spaces in Bellingham since 2022 with a goal to cultivate community by producing multi-sensory events that inspire and creatively activate placemaking. Learn more and get involved at www.paper-whale.com.
