In the wake of the annual Hit The North festival, Belfast has been named one of the UK’s best street art hotspots.
Belfast has long had a reputation for murals, which historically honoured martyrs, paramilitaries, and historical events. Regardless of your political alignment, it’s fair to say that these murals are parochial.
However, Belfast has, in recent years, become a haven for contemporary street art that celebrates the modern city’s diversity and bears no allegiance to the country’s traditional political stances.
A study recently published by Betway has now suggested that Belfast is one of the best street art hotspots in the UK and, indeed, the world.
Belfast named one of the UK’s best street art hotspots – more than parochial murals
Research carried out by Betway took into consideration five key pieces of data. First and foremost, unsurprisingly, was the number of murals.
Betway then analysed the number of social media posts and online articles relating to street art in a given city, online engagement, and average annual Google searches for street art in the city.
Belfast’s street art community – transforming the city
Most people, when they hear the words ‘Belfast’ and ‘mural’ in the same sentence, think of paintings depicting men with guns wearing masks. But Belfast’s contemporary street artists have been transforming the city for the better.
Indeed, according to Betway’s research, Belfast has over 340 street art locations with art that bears no connection to the city’s storied and fractured past.
According to Betway, this makes Belfast one of the best street art hotspots in the UK, behind only London and Bristol, home of world-famous street art festival, Upfest.
Belfast can thank its own street art festival for the reputation it developed over the past ten years.
Every year, Seedhead Arts’s Hit The North – the latest instalment of which took place on Sunday (5 May) – invites street artists from across the world to join up with Belfast’s street art community to transform the walls of the city streets.
Kent Street is the epicentre, with a block party just outside the Sunflower pub, while associated murals appear across Belfast. On top of the incredible artworks, Hit The North consistently puts on one of the city’s best days out.
Other street art hotspots – Berlin and New York
As mentioned, only London and Bristol came before Belfast in the UK list, but the capital of the north holds its own on the world scene, too.
Belfast found itself 19th on Betway’s overall list of street art hotspots, alongside the likes of big hitters Paris, Belin, and, of course, New York City. Not bad for a small city.
Meanwhile, other places punching above their weight in terms of population and reputation include the French cities of Grenoble, Bordeaux, and Montpellier.
You can check out the incredible new murals around Kent Street yourself, or get involved with the Seedhead Arts street art walking tour via their website.
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