Africa’s Largest Street Art Festival Brings New Murals to the CBD

The International Public Arts Festival (IPAF) returns for its sixth edition this week with an improved programme, featuring bespoke street art installations and a new art conference.

The City of Cape Town has been a proud sponsor of the urban art festival since its inception in 2017.

IPAF is organised by Baz-Art, an organisation dedicated to creating conversation through public art and show, expressed through a festival and murals.

The new murals will go up in the CBD and will include some multi-storey public art.

Tasked with the assignment of beautifying the walls are 15 artists, 10 of whom are local.

The artists will join a long list of more than 100 artists who have taken part in IPAF – Africa’s largest street art festival – over the last six years.

This year’s artists will add to the existing 133 large-scale murals through the public arts festival.

Between festivals, Baz-Art has installed over 400 murals in Observatory, Woodstock and Salt River, among other areas.

“The City of Cape Town is proud to continue its partnership with Baz-Art for the sixth edition of the IPAF. The festival has played an important role in beautifying public spaces in our city while also providing a platform for local artists to express their talent,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

An exciting new addition this year is the introduction of an art conference, which will provide artists with another platform for learning and honing their craft.

Added Alderman Smith: “During this time, when the tourism industry is steadily recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival is contributing to this revival by hosting tours and providing work opportunities for local tour guides. We are thrilled that the festival will also extend to the CBD, which forms part of the City’s broader economic recovery plan.”

The festival will continue with the guided walking and bicycle tours in the city centre, through Salt River and Woodstock. A group of 24 local guides, trained through IPAF, will lead the tours.

Baz-Art will also be introducing the inaugural National Public Arts Conference, which will run alongside the festival, featuring multiple talks including discussions on capturing Interactive community Input in Public Art.

The International Public Arts Festival runs from Wednesday, 23 February until Sunday, 27 February 2022.

Information on the tours is available here.