Brisbane Street Art Festival

Overview

There's no such thing as an ordinary coat of paint at Brisbane Street Art Festival. Here, every brushstroke, spray and roll contributes to a new work of art. There's also no such thing as an average Brissie roadway or public space at this annual fest. Everywhere in the River City becomes a canvas when it's BSAF time — so, in 2024, from Saturday, May 4–Sunday, May 19.

For nine years now, this autumn event has celebrated splashing outdoor art around far and wide across Brisbane. This year's festival will welcome more than 20 featured artists to literally paint the town red — and plenty of other colours — amid a program that doesn't just showcase celebrated talents showing off their skills, but also helps impart the tricks of the trade to everyone who wants to follow in their footsteps.

The big drawcard: live murals, as artists take to various patches of Brisbane across the two weeks to create new pieces while you watch. Superordinary at Northshore Brisbane, which also acts as a base for the fest, will gain three live murals. Other sites to head to: Howard Smith Wharves, where five new pieces will be brought to life — and also QUT Gardens Point, The Tivoli, Portside Wharf, Constance Street in Fortitude Valley, RNA Showgrounds, Garden City and The Barracks.

Sheep Chen and Adnate by Joshua Taten.

Doing the painting is a who's who of the local, national and international street art scenes, including Guirao, who hails from Spain but is now based in Melbourne; the Japan-born Spectator Jonze; Damien Mitchell, who spent ten years in New York; and Brisbane icon Sofles, who boasts more than 20 years in the industry. The likes of Davis Lee Pereira, The Brightsiders, Emily Devers, Kaho and Lisa Dot are also on the lineup, while Brissie's own Sethius Art will add a bin chicken sculpture to Superordinary.

BSAF Festival Director Lincoln Savage's latest program kicks off with the traditional launch party, also at Superordinary, then spans street art cycling tours, panels on gender bias and the use of art in shared spaces, an exhibition dedicated to First Nations talents, plus workshops on everything from aerosols, calligraphy, collages and tufting to brushwork, graffiti writing, lettering and sticker art. And to cap it all off, Felons Brewing Co will host the closing party, as it also usually does.

Cam Scale.

Top image: Drapl and Treazy by Aimee Catt.