Swindon Paint Fest: Second street art event gets under way

The festival will hold demonstrations and workshops for the public

Street artists and muralists plan to transform areas of Swindon during the second annual paint festival.

Swindon Paint Fest hopes to increase footfall and revive the town's historic connection to street art.

The festival includes street dancers, live painting and the creation of seven large murals as well as several smaller ones.

Co-organiser Caryn Koh said: "We want to enhance the town and to provide a platform for artists."

The main events of festival, founded in 2022 by Artsite Ltd, takes place this weekend but artists have already been busy starting murals.

Paintings will be created by more than 50 artists, some of whom have travelled from all over the world.

There will also be solo exhibitions, life drawing and live painting at various locations.

Lots of local home and business owners offered up their walls for transformation for last years festival

Ms Koh, 36, from Swindon has organised the festival with Helen Salter and Sally Taylor.

She said: "Swindon has a history with street art, over 40 years ago the town had several large scale murals.

"We want to revive that history that Swindon has with art."

The organisers also hope that the street art will benefit local businesses by increasing footfall in area's not usually visited.

Festival artist Hazard One decorated the Poppins cafe on Regent Street

They are also hoping to create conversations around specific subjects or issues through the art works.

Entertainment venue, MECA on Regent Circus in Swindon had a mural painted last year.

Organisers hope the art will attract more visitors to Swindon

Justin Britchford, from MECA, said: "We have always wondered what to do with the back of MECA so when we were approached by Swindon Paint Fest with the idea of murals on the building we jumped at the chance. "The artwork on our building looks amazing, so good in fact that we had one of them lit up at night to really show it off. We will definitely donate again to this year's event."

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