Upfest art walk with founder, Stephen Hayles
What you'll do
Discover the art and hear the stories of Upfest first-hand from the festival’s founder, Stephen Hayles.
In this special edition Yuup experience, you’ll explore the streets of Bedminster with the founder of Upfest and hear the hidden meanings and history behind the art of Europe's largest street art festival - all from the person who started it. Stephen formed the beginnings of the festival back in 2008, and it has since grown it into a world renowned graffiti festival in the heart of South Bristol, attracting over 2,000 artists to the streets of Bedminster. Hear his own personal anecdotes about the festival's origins and the art that made it what it is today, as well as his favourite pieces over the years.
As you take in each piece you’ll hear about Bristol's own street art story as well as the past, present and future of Upfest, which attracts exciting new graffiti artists each year. Around 100 artworks can be found in Bedminster and Stephen will reveal how each was created, as well as sharing the importance of the Bedminster community to Upfest’s ethos.
Get ready to discover the stories and hidden gems of Upfest’s lesser known art, as well as globally acclaimed pieces like ‘Sea Change’ by Jody Thomas, featuring the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Upcoming dates
What you'll do
Discover the art and hear the stories of Upfest first-hand from the festival’s founder, Stephen Hayles.
In this special edition Yuup experience, you’ll explore the streets of Bedminster with the founder of Upfest and hear the hidden meanings and history behind the art of Europe's largest street art festival - all from the person who started it. Stephen formed the beginnings of the festival back in 2008, and it has since grown it into a world renowned graffiti festival in the heart of South Bristol, attracting over 2,000 artists to the streets of Bedminster. Hear his own personal anecdotes about the festival's origins and the art that made it what it is today, as well as his favourite pieces over the years.
As you take in each piece you’ll hear about Bristol's own street art story as well as the past, present and future of Upfest, which attracts exciting new graffiti artists each year. Around 100 artworks can be found in Bedminster and Stephen will reveal how each was created, as well as sharing the importance of the Bedminster community to Upfest’s ethos.
Get ready to discover the stories and hidden gems of Upfest’s lesser known art, as well as globally acclaimed pieces like ‘Sea Change’ by Jody Thomas, featuring the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
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Yuup extras
- Every guest will receive a limited edition sketchbook and Posca pen
Facilities
- Child friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
- Parking
- Outdoors
COVID-19 guidelines
Groups sizes are limited & designated stopping points are pre planned to give space to guests and members of the public.
On the day
The experience will go ahead rain or shine, so please wear comfortable clothing and dress for the weather, this is Bristol after all!
Changes happen, don't worry
About Upfest
Upfest was originally dreamt up to bring 20 like minded artists together for a day of painting in Bristol. Today, the Upfest organisation hosts Europe's largest street art and graffiti festival, right here in our city. Since 2008 everything from smaller pieces to large scale murals have been painted throughout Bedminster as part of their annual Upfest festival, and each year thousands of visitors walk the streets here to see these masterpieces. The Upfest Gallery on North Street shares year round exhibitions from some of the 2000+ artists who've created pieces for the festival.
View more experiences by UpfestYour host
Stephen will be your host for this special edition experience, sharing everything from Upfest’s ethos to the personal anecdotes and stories from the festival through the years. Every piece of art on the streets of Bedminster has a story to tell and there’s no one better than Stephen, who has seen Upfest grow from an idea to the biggest graffiti festival in Europe, to share it.
How to get there
What people are saying
Well worth doing for all sorts of reasons. For me it was to understand more about the artists & their techniques. Was full of other great stuff Eg about the Upfest ethos and internationalism. 😎
We really enjoyed our tour with Stephen. He was super knowledgeable, and I loved learning about the culture of street art and some of the varied techniques used by artists to create their masterpieces. Our 6 year old also really enjoyed it, in case you are interested in bringing little ones.
Stephen is the perfect host, even when asked the most daft questions like ‘ you mean this was all done with spray paint?!’ he would answer with a smile. A highly enjoyable experience, would recommend to all ages and level of interest.
Any questions?
Ask your question directly to Upfest.
Upcoming dates
What people are saying
Well worth doing for all sorts of reasons. For me it was to understand more about the artists & their techniques. Was full of other great stuff Eg about the Upfest ethos and internationalism. 😎
We really enjoyed our tour with Stephen. He was super knowledgeable, and I loved learning about the culture of street art and some of the varied techniques used by artists to create their masterpieces. Our 6 year old also really enjoyed it, in case you are interested in bringing little ones.
Stephen is the perfect host, even when asked the most daft questions like ‘ you mean this was all done with spray paint?!’ he would answer with a smile. A highly enjoyable experience, would recommend to all ages and level of interest.
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