Walking the streets of Bristol, you’ll struggle to find a wall that isn’t adorned with a cutting-edge piece of street art. Not only is this the home city of the world’s most famous street artist, Banksy, but humorous, vibrant and subversive graffiti art can be found all around; along narrow alleys and through under-passages, across building walls and boldly displayed on bridges, Bristol is the home of street art.
A Background to Bristol Street Art
Banksy doesn’t just hail from Bristol, much of the elusive art extraordinaire’s most famous work, from ‘The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum’ to ‘Well Hung Lover’, are also displayed across the city, as well as streets, walls and bridges all over the world, inspiring a new generation to take to the streets to create innovative and dynamic art.
A taste of this exciting new talent can be found on the streets of Southville and Bedminster, where Bristol’s street art festival Upfest and a thriving creative community ensure there’s plenty of street art to see all year round. Take an Upfest stories and street art walk with Yuup to hear how some of these pieces were created.
Other street art hotspots include Stokes Croft, Nelson Street in the Old City, Cumberland Basin and Montpelier. Use Visit Bristol’s Bristol street art map to guide you around the city.
Image credit: Visit Bristol
Bristol Street Art Walking Tours
Explore the latest street art and celebrate Bristol’s unique creative culture, where the walls change weekly! A real ‘must-do’ cultural experience, The Bristol Street Art Tour provides insights into the life and work of Banksy and reveals the stories behind the paintings and the culture that makes Bristol the street art and graffiti capital of the UK.
A melting pot of subcultures for the last 30 years, Bristol’s graffiti and street art history is unlike anywhere else in the UK. It is home to more than 200 street artists and graffiti writers, all working on the cutting edge of this global art form.
The Bristol Street Art Tour provides listening devices (although you may bring your own) so you can hear the commentary clearly while enjoying all the sights. This massively improves a walking tour experience, and is perfect for enabling you to observe at your leisure and not miss a single word!
Image credit: Plaster
"A Piece Of…..Banksy!” Self-Guided Street Art Cultural Walking Tour
“A Piece Of…Banksy!” Self-Guided Tour is a fully narrated audio and visual exploration of Banksy in Bristol, from some of his earliest works, up to more recent activities in 2021, with exclusive and archive photos.
It’s a great way to explore the city, and to discover the Banksy story through 13 significant Bristol locations and audio commentaries. The commentaries are by John Nation, an internationally recognised authority on the global graffiti art movement, and a central figure in the Bristol and Banksy story from the early 80s.
One ticket enables two devices to run the self-guided tour for up to 24 hours. There is no downloading required, and the self-guided tour works on all generations of smartphones with a 3G or 4G connection.
Image credit: Visit Bristol
Main image: Hannah Judah