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Award-winning street art festival returns to Leicester

Bring The Paint - street art in progress

GRAFFITI artists from around the world will be creating stunning artworks on the streets of Leicester this month, as the internationally acclaimed Bring The Paint festival returns to the city.

The week-long festival – which runs from 23-29 May – will feature more than 70 artists from across the world all set to create eye-catching graphic artworks on buildings and spectacular 3D floor art in and around the city centre.

Since the first festival in 2017, Bring The Paint has had a dramatic impact on the visual landscape of the city, helping to create a free open air gallery of large scale street art for all to enjoy. This year, internationally acclaimed artists from America, Mexico, Germany, Italy, France, and the UK will be continuing the transformation with more world-class art.

Artistic director of Bring The Paint, Izzy Hoskins said: “We are incredibly excited to stage Bring The Paint for the third time in Leicester. Our world-class line-up speaks for itself, and we are proud to be working with such an incredible selection of artists. The festival is set to be one of the biggest street art events in the UK this year.”

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Bring the Paint has become a regular part of the city’s exciting calendar of events since 2017, and the breathtaking results of these world-class artworks can still be seen in the city centre today.

“I’m once again looking forward to working with Graffwerk to bring this event to the city, and to see the handiwork of some truly amazing artists.”

As well as watching the new street art taking shape, people will be able to enjoy live music, workshops, exhibitions and a range of other activities including street art walking tours, led-bike rides to discover more about the artists and the stories behind their work, and a virtual reality exhibition charting the history of UK graffiti.

Visitors can also create their own piece of wall art with a spray-painting workshop, get musical at a free DJ drop-in session, get some great pictures on a street art photo walk or have a go at comic illustration.

Festival venues include The Mill by Graffwerk for artworks and events; The Soundhouse for live music; LCB Deport for a lively events programme with the popular Last Friday street food night; and Rally House, Short Street and Beta X all hosting workshops and pop-up gallery spaces.

Supported by Arts Council England, BID Leicester, Leicester City Council, De Montfort University and The Gresham Apartments, Bring The Paint is inspired by Leicester’s identity as one of the most diverse cities in Europe.

Full details can be found at www.bringthepaint.co.uk