Bristol is an excellent place to look at street art
Walking through Bristol, it’s impossible to miss the vibrant street art that colours buildings across the city- sometimes covering entire façades.
Bristol’s most famous mysterious street artist, Banksy, still has nine original pieces left in the city, though many others have disappeared over the years.
But Banksy isn’t the only name in town. Local and international artists like Inkie, HazardOne, Jody, Aryz, Nick Walker, Connor Harrington, Cheba and more have all left their mark on Bristol’s walls.
A recent study by Slingo counted more than 250 street artworks in the city, placing Bristol among the top 10 cities in the world for street art.
The rankings were based on the number of artworks and graffiti, as well as Instagram and TikTok posts about street art between February 2024 and January 2025.
Street art in Bristol is constantly evolving, but if you’re looking to explore some of the best spots to find it, here are a few places you won’t want to miss.
The City Centre
Firstly, on Broad Street is ‘The Duel of Bristol’, by Connor Harrington. This was Harrington’s entry into the See No Evil Festival in 2012.
Leonard Lane, in the Old City, is also a great place to find colourful artwork. The narrow lane became a hotspot for graffiti after the Bristol Mural Collective started using it.
There are two Banksy’s in the city centre, one on Frogmore Street and another on Lower Lamb Street.
The infamous ‘Well Hung Lover’ or otherwise known as ‘Naked Man Hanging from Window’ or just ‘Naked Man’ was painted on the side of a sexual health clinic and is best seen from Park Street.
This mural painted in 2006, was the first legal piece of street in the UK because it was granted permission and protection from Bristol City Council.
However, it was defaced by a paint gun and black spray paint on two separate occasions.
Banksy also painted ‘You Don’t Need Planning Permission to Build Castles in the Sky’ on Lower Lamb Road in 2011.
It appeared on the wall behind the library and Cathedral Primary School. But, after the building was renovated in 2015 the wall was broken to create a loading zone.
The writing has since been restored to the wall, but it goes across the roll door on the loading zone.
Stokes Croft
The area around Stokes Croft – including Moon Street and Picton Lane – has some of the highest concentrations of street art in Bristol.
Turbo Island, often shrouded in controversy, also has a large amount of street art on its walls.
One of Banksy’s earliest works is located in Stokes Croft. ‘Mild Mild West’ appeared in the 90s and depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at a squad of riot police and is said to be commentary on police cracking down on illegal raves at that time.
Bedminster
Bedminster has been home to many street art festivals over the years, starting with the See No Evil Festival in 2012. This brought internationally renowned artists to Nelson Street.
Some of the highlights from Nelson Street include Nick Walker’s ‘The Vandal’, Pixel Pancho’s mechanical beast and the ‘Giant Dog’ by Aryz and Stik.
North Street is also another street filled with art because of the annual Upfest, which happens every May. The festival started in 2008 and last year there was a 17-day cultural festival.
Upfest has expanded to other areas of the city and last year Liam Bononi painted Lime Road in Southville.
Bononi’s depiction of Yorkshire-based street violinist Rupert Engeldow was nominated by other street artists for the Inspiring City’s Street Art Cities awards, in the ‘experts spotlight’ category- making it internationally recognised.
This year, Bristol’s biggest street artists will be taking to Spring Street, at the Help Bristol’s Homeless headquarters, for a new festival called Paint Fest.
On May 10 and 11 the artists will spray the converted shipping containers to create colourful artworks.
The other Banksy’s
There are many other Banksy artworks around the city, but some have been removed or changed over the years.
The latest of Banksy’s work, painted in 2020 is ‘Aachoo!!’, showing a woman sneezing on the side of a house at the bottom of Vale Street in Totterdown – England’s steepest residential street.
‘Valentine’s Day’, also painted in 2020, is of the girl with the balloon, except this time she had burst the balloon with a catapult. This large mural appeared on the side of a house in Marsh Lane, Barton Hill, but this has been graffitied over and can hardly be seen now.
‘The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum’ is located at Hanover Place, Spike Island. This appeared in 2014 and was a parody of ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’.
The M Shed Museum now displays ‘The Grim Reaper’, although it was originally painted on the side of Thekla in 2005.
On the corner of Robertson Road and Foster Street in Easton, a very early Banksy can be found. ‘Cat and Dog’ is accompanied by the text, “There are crimes that become innocent or even glorious through their splendour, number, and excess.”
‘The Rose Trap’, found on Thomas Street North, in Cotham, is an early artwork and is covered by a protective casing to prevent vandalism.
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