Body Painting Festival

Body painting is all about embellishing the beauty and mystery of the human form in a provocative, competitive and we've got to admit, a titillating environment using paints, props, music, and above all imagination.

"Body Gras!™", the host of the Canadian Bodypainting Championships, was set in motion in the summer of 2002 when its founders convinced nearly 20 artists, and just as many models and stylists, to compete in a new body painting competition staged in Nanaimo, B.C. – a tough, yet artsy former coal town graced with one of the most amazing harbours on the entire West Coast of North America.

During the debut competition, nearly a thousand people over the span of three nights took in the spectacle! Three evenings filled with rousing, often boisterous entertainment, artistic fineness - and certainly the most provocative feature of this extravaganza - body painting teams competing for prize money and the chance to be in the well-covered spotlight.

We invite you to enjoy some of the unique creations we have had the privilege to showcase in our "Body Gras!™" shows since 2002.

This week-long festival is a mixture of live bands, DJs, dance and the art of body painting. With five or six live acts on during the day, a Ministry Of Sound tent and acts in the Red Bull Academy there should be plenty to choose from before a two hour presentation of some of the best body art in the world.

There are also musical workshops that can teach festival-goers percussion, didgeridoo, how to DJ and much more.

The main days of the festival are from Friday to Sunday, 16-18 July, daily from 10.30 am in the "Bodypaint City". The artists start painting in the public park and later in the day the artwork is judged by a professional jury. The models are then presented to the audience on the main stage. During the day lots of music and show acts are presented. There are music concerts on program till late...