Artists, creative professionals and art enthusiasts gathered in Lagos on Saturday for the second edition of the Lagos Street Art Festival, an initiative aimed at making visual art more accessible by taking creative expression beyond traditional galleries and into public spaces.
The festival, held at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, brought together artists using spray cans, brushes and canvases to showcase their work and engage audiences outside conventional exhibition spaces.
Organised by Inscribe Art in partnership with the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), the event seeks to provide emerging artists with greater visibility, opportunities for collaboration and access to potential buyers.
Adaora Mbelu, a member of the festival’s creative council, said the initiative was designed to address the difficulties emerging artists face in securing exhibition opportunities.
She said the festival provided a platform for artists to express their creativity, gain recognition and commercialise their work.
Mbelu explained that many talented artists struggled to secure space in conventional galleries, making public platforms important for connecting them with wider audiences.
The festival’s second edition builds on its inaugural event in 2025, which featured 12 artists, including nine Nigerians and three international participants. The artists created large-scale works across Lagos under the theme, “Legendary Lagos: City of Dreams.”
The first edition explored the city’s energy, cultural diversity and reputation as a destination for people pursuing different ambitions.
Beyond the visual exhibitions, the 2026 festival featured live art demonstrations, creative workshops, artist talks, music performances and other cultural activities.
Nigerian hip-hop artistes Vector, Eva Alordiah and Illbliss were among the performers announced for the event, alongside DJs and live art battles.
Founding council member Osa Okunkpolor, popularly known as Osa Seven, said the organisers believed art should not be restricted to galleries and museums but made accessible to the wider public.
He commended the festival’s partners for supporting efforts to expand public art and create opportunities for emerging creatives.
The initiative also seeks to encourage community engagement and strengthen the relationship between art and urban spaces. Its organisers see public art as a means of preserving stories, celebrating cultural identity and transforming everyday environments into places of creative expression.
The festival’s programme includes a digital archive of artworks produced during its activities, intended to preserve the stories behind the works and contribute to Lagos’ evolving cultural identity.
Its partners and supporters include Inscribe, LASPARK, Adidas, Hennessy, Berger Paints, Crea8torium, British Council, Q21 Solutions, Rora, Mirus Events, WhyFinite and Osengwa.
The organisers say their broader ambition is to develop a sustainable public art movement in Africa by expanding opportunities for artists to showcase their work, collaborate, acquire new skills and reach commercial audiences.
By bringing art into shared public spaces, the Lagos Street Art Festival is seeking to broaden access to visual creativity and make artistic expression part of everyday urban life.
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