Portsmouth street art festival returns this weekend
Portsmouth’s reputation as the street art capital of the UK is set to grow with the return of LOOK UP Portsmouth this weekend.
The free festival takes place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September. It will bring with it one hundred new murals, appearances from world-class artists and plenty of ways for residents to get involved.
The project is funded by Arts Council England, Network Rail, Cosham councillors through the Community Infrastructure Levy and Portsmouth Creates. That support means the whole event is free to enjoy and free to take part in.
Portsmouth City Council has helped identify locations for the murals and worked with residents to shape the designs. Many of the artworks will appear on council housing or other public buildings, with residents guiding what they look like and where they are placed.
This year new pieces will appear in Cosham, Landport and Hilsea, along with artwork on cycle hangers in different parts of the city. Organisers say the choices reflect the ideas and feedback of local people.
Visitors are being encouraged to use the LOOK UP 2025 map to plan their route and watch the artists at work. Discounts are available on Voi bikes and scooters with the code LOOKUP2025, while bus travel remains free every weekend in September.
Cllr Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness, said: “It’s great to see so many great pieces of art around the city that local people helped create. Art has been too often seen as something for the elite. This shows that is not true. Instead it does what good culture should do: gives people pride in where they live.”
Angela Parks, director of LOOK UP Portsmouth, added: “We’ve always believed that street art should be for everyone – and that’s why we work so closely with the community. It’s their ideas, their spaces, and their response that make LOOK UP what it is.”
Workshops for children and young people will also take place at Ark Charter Academy in Landport across both days. Sessions include DJing, spray painting and smartphone filmmaking, alongside a creative corner for people of all ages.
LOOK UP Portsmouth is organised by Art Up Portsmouth CIC. Updates and details are available on the festival’s website (https://www.lookup-portsmouth.co.uk/).