For Beto Conejo, South Salt Lake’s Mural Fest 2026 presented him with a serendipitous opportunity. He was selected to work as a mural apprentice, helping Mississippi artist Birdcap paint a design at Woodrow Wilson Elementary. 

Conejo attended the school from preschool to sixth grade and it’s the site of his first work of public art, where he painted a fire hydrant as a third-grade student. Organizers didn’t know of his connection to the school, but the experience will be a full-circle moment for the South Salt Lake artist.

“A lot of my foundations for art were built at that school,” Conejo said. “I turned the fire hydrant’s shape into a little mushroom. I gave it some cool little googly eyes and it’s literally in front of the mural wall that we’re going to be painting.”

The Woodrow Wilson mural, located at 2567 S. Main St., will be one of 10 new displays painted during SSL Mural Fest on Saturday, May 9, from 2-8 p.m. Local, national and international muralists will add their contributions to the growing number of public art displays in the city. 

The Mural Fest has put SSL on the map, as organizers receive hundreds of artist applications each year. This year’s festival will feature Conejo and Birdcap, Sophie Nebeker (Salt Lake), Naomi Haverland (Florida), Shley (Salt Lake), Mauricio Ramirez (Wisconsin), Shaandin Powell (Salt Lake), Lucas Aoki (Argentina), Katie Green (Canada), Curtis Hylton (United Kingdom) and Christin Apodaca (Texas).

“The world-renowned talent that we’re bringing into this event, and over the last nine years it’s been going on, has made a name for us in the international art community,” said Ben Keller, SSL Public Outreach Coordinator. “It’s put our small city on the map and it’s exciting to see how much the event has grown.”

Located in SSL’s Creative Industries Zone, Mural Fest incorporates messages of unity, inspiration, diversity and community. It’s the largest collection of street art in the state and will boast 89 murals at the conclusion of this year’s event. 

Guests are invited to stroll or bike ride through the open-air gallery, using the interactive mural map at TheMuralFest.com to view the art and visit with the muralists. This year, a beer garden will be featured at the event headquarters, located at 151 W. Commonwealth Ave. There will also be street buskers, musicians, food, drinks and more. 

“We’re coming up on 100 murals, which was the original goal of Mural Fest,” Keller said. “We’ll have a fun bus running to take people around to see all the new murals this year. We’re in the process of organizing some group bike rides as well, to get people out to see everything.”

Conejo recently spent time in Mexico, painting murals across the country, and is excited to bring his talents back to his hometown. 

“I grew up on West Temple, so I literally lived on the street where it all started,” he said. “This event is a little bit of a relief. I’ve been applying for [Mural Fest] since I was 18, and I’m 27 now. It feels like I’m getting home support from the city I grew up in. I’m just excited to see what comes next.”