Vibrant new murals have been added to the walls of Belfast by local and international artists thanks to the annual ‘Hit The North’ Street Art Festival.
Organised by Seedhead Arts and supported by Hennessy, ‘Hit The North’ has grown from humble beginnings to become the biggest street art festival in the UK and Ireland this year.
While Belfast is no stranger to murals, the new paintings created by over 75 festival artists are reflective of a modern and diverse city.
Celebrating its 10th birthday, the festival drew its most impressive crowd yet with over 1,000 spectators attending the annual ‘paint-jam’ in the city centre to see artists including Studio Giftig, winner of this year’s Street Art Cities ‘Best Mural of the 2022’ Award.
Speaking about the festival’s growth over the past decade, Adam Turkington, Director of Seedhead Arts said Northern Ireland is fast becoming a hub for urban culture and the arts. “This year we’ve had artists travel from as far away as South Africa and Ukraine to take part in the festival. NI has a rich cultural heritage for mural art and this really appeals to creatives who want to develop their skills while gaining inspiration from like-minded artists in a supportive space. I can’t thank the visiting artists, supporters and partners enough for supporting ‘Hit The North’ over the past ten years which has helped grow street art into a vibrant sector for so many of our talented local street artists.”
Jamie Jamison from key partner Hennessy added; “From new large-scale murals and street art walking tours to urban sports and sketching sessions, this year’s ‘Hit The North’ Street Art Festival was the biggest and best yet! Northern Ireland is well regarded on the world stage as a leading destination for graffiti art and at Hennessy we are proud to champion the creativity, innovation and passion of these artists.”