Upfest 2022: Bristol hosts Europe's largest graffiti festival

Bristol welcomed thousands of visitors from across the globe as it hosted Europe's largest graffiti festival.

Upfest celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, with organisers estimating around 50,000 people attended the event in Bedminster on Saturday and Sunday.

The free street art festival also featured more than 300 artists painting live, music, stalls and activities.

Event director Steve Hayles was pleased to welcome so many artists and visitors to the event.

"The sky is blue, the people are here and we have 300 artists artists painting live over the course of the weekend," he said.

"Over the past three weeks we've painted 80 murals out on the streets of Bedminster so people can come to the park and around the area to see all the completed murals," he added.

Mr Hayles said the free festival had grown "exponentially" since its creation.

"We started at the Tobacco Factory with about 40 artists and 40 visitors," he added.

The event was held in Greville Smyth Park for the first time this year, with artists creating art from scratch on blank canvases and adding their designs to a New York subway train placed at the site.

Samba and reggae band Batala Bristol were among the musical performers as visitors enjoyed the event in warm sunshine.

The main festival was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic, although Upfest did work with artists on other projects.

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