About

Upfest is Europe's largest street art festival, taking place across the South Bristol neighbourhoods of Bedminster and Southville, celebrating both local and international talent across several days of live painting.

Over the past decade, the festival has seen over 5,000 artists participate, attracting some of the biggest names in the street art scene.

When is Upfest?

Friday 15 May – Sunday 31 May 2026
Locations: Bedminster, Southville and locations across Bristol
Price: Free

UPFEST, Europe’s largest live street art festival, returns to Bristol from Friday 15 May to Sunday 31 May 2026 with its most ambitious programme to date. Spanning 17 days, the biannual festival will transform Bedminster, Southville and new locations across the city into a vibrant open-air gallery of large-scale murals, live painting and creative events.

Across the festival, visitors can experience colourful mural painting by international, national and local artists, alongside free creative workshops, live events and community-led projects. Bedminster will once again become a live canvas, with up to 100 brand new murals appearing across the neighbourhood.

What’s On at UPFEST 2026

Over three weekends, the Tobacco Factory will act as the creative heart of the festival with a full venue takeover. Expect free workshops, live painting, DJs, graffiti battles and artist-led activations, making it one of the UK’s most unmissable celebrations of street art culture.

UPFEST 2026 will also expand further across the city through its enhanced Partners Programme. Collaborations with Bristol BID and Cabot Circus will bring large-scale murals and live street art into Bristol city centre, while a new youth-led project in Hartcliffe, delivered with Youth Moves, will extend the festival’s community impact.

Workshops and Community Projects

Following support from Arts Council England, UPFEST 2026 will deliver an expanded programme of artist development and visitor workshops. Thousands of free workshop places will be available, with booking opening from 1 May 2026.

Keeping UPFEST Free and Accessible

UPFEST remains free and accessible for all. A crowdfunding campaign has launched to support the delivery of the mural programme, workshops and live events, helping remove barriers for artists, communities and audiences.

Support the Crowdfunder.

Festival Artist: Melo

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 storytelling rooted in place, Melo’s work can be found across Bristol and beyond. Her recent projects include a large-scale live painting at Bristol Amphitheatre during the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Plan Your Visit

UPFEST 2026 takes place across multiple locations in Bristol, with Bedminster and Southville at its heart. Full programme details, locations and updates will be announced in the months leading up to the festival.

For more information, visit upfest.co.uk and follow UPFEST on social media on Facebook and Instagram.

Discover over 170 murals that have been created as part of past Upfest events in the Upfest mural map.

Sister festival Weston Wallz takes place in nearby Weston-super-Mare every year.

Read more:

- Street Art in Bristol
- Bristol Festivals
- Banksy and street art hotspots in Bristol