Upfest is Bristol's street art festival, held across Bedminster and Southville (postcode area BS3) every May. The most recent edition ran for 17 days, from 15 to 31 May 2026, with painting happening live on the street between roughly 8.30am and 6.30pm each day. It's free to walk around and watch the artists work, and the workshops, talks and family activities that run alongside it are free too. Yes, it's worth going, even just for an afternoon: you get to watch murals being painted in real time across dozens of walls, not just look at finished ones.
Upfest at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When is it? | Most recently 15-31 May 2026, a 17-day programme; check upfest.co.uk for the next confirmed dates |
| Where is it? | Bedminster and Southville, Bristol, postcode area BS3 |
| Is it free? | Yes, painting, workshops and talks are all free to attend |
| Best day to go? | Saturdays, when the Tobacco Factory hosts dedicated sessions, art battles and DJs |
| Nearest station? | Bedminster or Parson Street, both around a 15-minute walk |
| Is it indoors or outdoors? | Painting happens outdoors on the street; workshops are indoors or under cover |
What actually happens at Upfest
Upfest describes itself as turning Bristol into one giant open-air gallery, and that's a fair description of what you'll see. In 2026 more than 300 artists took part, painting over 100 new works across familiar Upfest walls and new locations throughout BS3, alongside a full programme of free workshops, artist talks, walking tours, pop-up exhibitions, live board painting, art battles, DJs and family activities. The Tobacco Factory on North Street is one of the main hubs, running dedicated sessions on the festival's Saturdays with live painting in the Yard, a tile mural workshop, craft activities and a dedicated exhibition in its cafe bar.
The festival isn't limited to one street. Recent editions have spread new murals around Bedminster Green, Dalby Avenue, North Street and East Street, plus permanent large-scale pieces further into the city centre. That means you can treat it as a proper walking route rather than a single stop, wandering between venues like the Upfest Gallery, Bristol Beer Factory Tap Room, Windmill Hill City Farm and the Hen and Chicken pub, all of which host art or events during the festival.
Getting there
Upfest is centred on North Street in Bedminster, about a 30-minute walk from Bristol city centre. If you'd rather not walk the whole way:
- Train: Bedminster and Parson Street stations are the closest, each about a 15-minute walk from the main festival area. Bristol Temple Meads is further out, roughly 35 minutes on foot.
- Bus: The number 24 runs direct from Bristol city centre to North Street; you can pick it up outside the Sainsbury's on Broad Quay.
- Bike or e-scooter: There are bike racks opposite the Upfest Gallery and along North Street, and the area is covered by Bristol's Dott e-bike and e-scooter scheme, covered in our bike hire guide.
- Car: Bedminster sits inside Bristol's Clean Air Zone and has resident parking schemes in place, so check our Clean Air Zone guide and parking guide before you drive in, or consider a car share service instead.
Is it worth going?
If you like street art, yes, straightforwardly. Upfest is one of the largest street art festivals of its kind in Europe, and the appeal over simply walking Bristol's permanent murals (covered in our Banksy and street art guide) is seeing work actually get made: artists on scaffolding and cherry pickers, fresh paint, and pieces that might be gone or painted over within a year or two. Families are well catered for too, with free drop-in craft activities and workshops that don't need booking. The main trade-off is crowding, since Saturdays in particular draw big numbers to the Tobacco Factory sessions, so if you want a quieter look at the murals being painted, a weekday daytime visit is the better bet.
Combining it with the rest of Bedminster and Southville
Since the festival runs across the whole neighbourhood rather than one venue, it's worth pairing a visit with the wider area. Our Bedminster and Southville guide covers the cafes, shops and pubs in the same streets Upfest paints each year, so you can turn a festival visit into a proper afternoon out rather than a quick in-and-out trip.
Practical tips
- Painting runs roughly 8.30am to 6.30pm daily during the festival, but workshop times vary by venue, so check the individual listings before planning your day around a specific activity.
- Food and drink are available at festival venues and the usual Bedminster cafes and pubs along North Street; it isn't a ticketed, fenced-off event, so you're free to eat and drink anywhere in the area as you would normally.
- Dates move year to year and aren't announced far in advance, so check upfest.co.uk closer to the time rather than assuming it repeats on exactly the same weekend.
- Bring comfortable shoes. The murals are spread across several streets, and the best way to see a lot of them is on foot.