This summer sees the return of the Cheltenham Paint Festival. On Saturday July 27 and Sunday July 28, national and international artists will descend on the town to breathe life and colour into a wall near you.
This year will be the sixth paint festival and you can still see the murals that dozens of talented artists have created over the years. The “canvases” for the paintings include the blocks of the housing on Princess Elizabeth Way, the side walls of Williams Cycles and the Honeybourne Line tunnels.
You can get involved in the festival even if you can’t paint
You don’t need to be handy with a paintbrush or have a wall of your own to offer up to an artist; you can get involved in a number of ways to help to make the event a success yet again.
Donate some spare cash to the festival
Cheltenham Paint Festival relies on financial donations from the general public and on donations of materials (such as paint) from local businesses. Head here to make a contribution or to shop the festival merch, sales of which help to support the event.
Offer some of your spare time
If you have some spare time over the summer holidays you could come along for half a day and help out as the murals take shape. There’s a lot of different things you could do, such as assisting individual artists, distributing festival flyers around the town and talking to interested sightseers about the artworks. You might even get a free t-shirt.
Get on your bike
In total, the Paint Festival trail is around 8km and you can take in all the murals over the course of a day. Some people prefer to walk the trail while others cycle or even use one of the town’s new electric scooters. You can download the latest map and audioguide to help you along the way.
