{"id":961063,"date":"2026-05-15T07:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961063\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T07:31:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:31:25","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-upfest-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961063\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about Upfest 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The huge street art festival starts today\"Crowds<\/p>\n

Crowds along North Street at Upfest 2022(Image: Paul Box)<\/p>\n

Bristol’s celebration of all things street art is returning to the streets of Bedminster<\/a> and Southville<\/a> today (May 15) for what will be ‘Europe’s largest live street art gallery’.<\/p>\n

The event will run for 17 days and will include live mural painting, workshops, DJs and a wide array of free family activities.<\/p>\n

This year’s Upfest<\/a> will see more than 150 murals painted live across the BS3 postcode, alongside artist talks, hands-on creative workshops and Tobacco Factory Saturday Sessions featuring DJs<\/a>, artist takeovers and live painting throughout the month.<\/p>\n

Artists painting across the opening weekend include Cheba, Mister Samo, DFTE and this year\u2019s Festival Artist Melo, with more than 100 additional artists painting throughout the festival period.<\/p>\n

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event…<\/p>\n

When and where is Upfest 2026?<\/p>\n

There are 17 days of live art, DJs, workshops, artist takeovers, talks and free family activities in BS3, taking place from May 15 – 31, with Tobacco Factory becoming the festival\u2019s creative hub across three major Saturday Sessions.<\/p>\n

The festival is held across BS3, check out the map on the official website for more information.<\/a><\/p>\n

Across the festival\u2019s three Saturday Sessions (May 16, 23 and 30), Tobacco Factory will host live DJs curated by DJ Cridge, artist takeovers, live painting with 150 artists, workshops and free drop-in activities from midday until late, making it one of the main gathering points for visitors throughout the festival.<\/p>\n

Painting will happen between 8.30am and 6.30pm every day. Workshop times vary (see below). Tobacco Factory Saturday Sessions Workshop and Painting will run from 10am-6pm.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Image: BristolLive)<\/p>\n

How to get there<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walking:<\/strong> Bedminster and the festival is roughly a 30-minute walk from Bristol City Centre. Use the postcode BS3 1JF to find it.Bike, e-scooter and e-bikes:<\/strong> There are bike racks opposite the gallery and along North Street at various locations.Train:<\/strong> The nearest mainline station is Bristol Temple Meads – this is a 35-minute walk to the gallery. Local line stations are Bedminster and Parson Street – these are a 15-minute walk.Bus:<\/strong> From Bristol City Centre there is a bus service direct to North Street. This is the number 24 and can be found outside the Sainsburys on Broad Quay.Coach:<\/strong> The nearest coach station is Bristol Central Station, which is a 35-minute walk to the gallery.<\/p>\n

Do I need tickets to go to Upfest?<\/p>\n

No tickets are required to come and watch the artists create their masterpieces. Bookings will, however, be required for some of the workshops – these are all free to attend. There will be drop-in sessions available for certain workshops.<\/p>\n

Which artists will be painting at Upfest 2026?<\/p>\n

Artists kicking off the opening weekend with live mural painting include:<\/p>\n