Portsmouth residents help cement city’s reputation as the UK’s street art capital

Friday, 12 September 2025 09:00

Portsmouth is being celebrated as the UK’s street art capital, with a major festival returning this weekend.

LOOK UP Portsmouth will bring 100 new street art murals to the city.

World-class artists will be taking part, alongside plenty of opportunities for residents to get involved.

Many of the artworks you’ll see are painted on council-owned housing or buildings, and every year residents will have helped choose where it goes and what it looks like.

Here’s a few of the locations getting a mural this year, all influenced by public ideas and feedback:

Southampton Road (Cosham)
Central Street (Landport)
Old Edinburgh House hoardings (Cosham)
Hilsea Lido cafe

Plus, on-street cycle hangers in various locations across the city.

Want to plan a route to see the artists at work? Check out LOOK UP’s 2025 map (you can plan a walking route, use ‘LOOKUP2025’ for a discount on Voi bikes and scooters, and remember – it’s free buses every weekend in September!)

Cllr Darren Sanders, Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness, said: “It’s great to see so many great pieces of art around the city that local people helped create. Art has been too often seen as something for the elite. This shows that is not true. Instead it does what good culture should do: gives people pride in where they live.”

Angela Parks, one of the directors of LOOK UP Portsmouth, added: “We’ve always believed that street art should be for everyone – and that’s why we work so closely with the community. It’s their ideas, their spaces, and their response that make LOOK UP what it is.”

Visit LOOK UP Portsmouth for the latest updates and information.

Portsmouth residents help cement city’s reputation as the UK’s street art capital

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