Europe's largest street art and graffiti festival returns to Bristol in May

Held across Bedminster and Southville, Upfest is back after a fallow year with a 17-day programme of live painting and events from 15th to 31st May 2026. 

Born in 2008, over 80,000 people head to Upfest to check out around 300 artists from across the globe live painting over 120 vibrant street murals and get stuck into arty workshops, talks, and more. 

The free-to-attend festival is set to take over the B3 postcode, transforming Bristol into a “street art playground.” 

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Tobacco Factory acts as Upfest’s central hub, where music will be showcased on the 16th, 23rd, and 30th (Saturdays), while also hosting the fest’s Saturday Sessions workshops and more. 

Upfest is free to attend, and no tickets are required - just head down and watch the artists create. Bookings for workshops will be required, but all will be free to attend, thanks to funding from the Arts Council. The funding also supports artist development through Upfest’s ‘Scale-Up’ opportunities, which allows five artists to work at a larger scale to develop their practice. 

There will also be opportunities to buy artwork from Upfest Gallery, the Tobacco Factory, and the festival’s pop-up shop (location to be announced). 

Upfest takes over Bristol's B3 area from 15th to 31st May 2026 and is free to attend. Find out more about Upfest here. 

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Header image credit: Upfest.co.uk / art by Alain Welter