UPFEST announces 2026 dates, Festival Artist and Crowd-funding as it returns for its biannual event

Europe’s largest live street art festival, UPFEST, will return to Bristol for its biannual international event from Friday 15th - Sunday 31st May 2026. The 17-day programme  will deliver colourful mural painting, creative workshops, live events and community-led projects across Bedminster, Southville and new locations across the city, marking one of the most ambitious editions in its 18 year history. 

Leading UPFEST 2026 as Festival Artist is Bristol-based muralist Esme Lower, known professionally as Melo. Renowned for her bold characters, playful colour palettes and strong connection to place through story telling. Her work can be found across Bristol and beyond, including a recent large-scale live painting at Bristol Amphitheatre during the Women’s Rugby World Cup, created as part of the city’s official Fan Zone.

Artists are now invited to register their interest to paint as part of UPFEST 2026. Walls will be available across a range of scales and locations throughout BS3, offering opportunities for both emerging and established artists. Artist registration is now open and closes Sunday 1st March 2026, with applications available at upfest.co.uk.

For the 2026 edition, Bedminster will once again become a live canvas, with up to 100 brand new murals painted throughout the neighbourhood. Across three weekends, the Tobacco Factory will act as the creative heart of the festival, with a full venue takeover hosting free workshops, live painting, DJs, graffiti battles and artist-led activations, creating one of the most unmissable moments of live street art culture in the UK.

UPFEST 2026 will also expand further across the city through an enhanced UPFEST Partners Programme. Activities with Bristol Business Improvement District (BID) and Cabot Circus will bring large-scale murals and live street art into Bristol city centre. A new youth-led project in Hartcliffe, delivered in partnership with Youth Moves, will extend the festival’s community impact. Further programme details and locations will be announced in the coming months.

Following a successful funding award from Arts Council England, UPFEST 2026 will deliver an expanded programme. The funding will support artist development and an extensive visitor workshop programme - free workshop bookings will be available from 1st of May.

In addition, UPFEST has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help ensure the event remains free and accessible for everyone. The campaign will support the delivery of the mural programme, thousands of workshop places and dozens of live events, while enabling UPFEST to continue removing barriers to participation for artists, communities and audiences. The team behind the street art festival needs to raise £10,000 through a reward-based system so you’ll be able to grab the latest festival t-shirt from Melo, posca paint pen packs and a chance to win tickets for some of Bristol's summer festivals as a reward for donating To support the campaign, visit: www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/upfest-2026 

Steve Hayles, Co-Founder of UPFEST, said: “After taking our regular fallow year in 2025, it feels incredibly special to be bringing the festival back in 2026. We’re hugely grateful to Arts Council England for their support alongside Bristol BID and Cabot Circus and to everyone who continues to believe in what UPFEST stands for. It has always been about creating opportunities for artists, celebrating creativity in public space and keeping street art open and accessible to all. 

We’re equally proud to continue our long-standing charity partnership with NACOA, (National Association for Children of Alcoholics), who’ll use the Upfest platform to fundraise and share the incredible work they do. Launching our crowdfunding campaign alongside this announcement is a vital part of making that happen - and we can’t wait to see Bristol’s walls come alive again this May, please show your support if you can.”

UPFEST 2026 is supported by a dedicated group of volunteers and a range of long-standing and returning partners from across the street art and creative industries, including MTN spraypaints, POSCA, Niche Frames, Bristol Beer Factory, Bristol BID, Cabot Circus, Plaster Communications and WG Scaffolding, whose continued backing helps deliver high-quality walls, materials and opportunities for artists throughout the festival.

For more information, updates and announcements, visit www.upfest.co.uk and follow UPFEST on Instagram and Facebook.