Mural festival brings colour and life to London

They'll be painting more than 40 large-scale murals across the city, alongside a plethora of smaller events, giving locals and visitors a huge dose of visual inspiration for free.

"London is a really exciting place for public art," says Camille Walala, one of the artists involved in the festival. "Designers are getting more confident with colour here. And with so many things being cancelled and postponed, I'm very happy to see the first London Mural Festival is still going ahead."

One of the biggest events of the festival will be the 100-artist hoarding jam taking place at International Quarter London (IQL), Stratford, east London, in partnership with the developers LCR and Lendlease. The collective artwork will stretch over 500m in length and will close the festival on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October.

"It's been a hard year for everyone and continues to be, but hopefully, we can bring a smile to people's faces and brighten up the streets," says Lee Bofkin, CEO and co-founder of Global Street Art, the organisation behind the festival.

Elena Kosseva, development manager at LCR, adds: "We'll ensure that social distancing and government guidelines are in place so that the artists can deliver their work safely, as they create some amazing pieces for the local community, the rest of London and the world, to enjoy."

The festival will showcase art from local, national and international talent. The current line-up includes 1UP (Germany), Aches (Ireland), Adele Renault (Belgium), ATM (UK), Bonzai (UK), Camille Walala (France), Captain Kris (NZ), Chu (UK), Curtis Hylton (UK), Dale Grimshaw (UK), Fat Heat (Hungary), Fate (Japan), Faunagraphic (UK), Gary Stranger (UK), Hunto (Italy), Imaone (Japan), Insa (UK), Jan Kalab (Czech Republic), Jimmy C (Australia), Jo Hicks (UK), Lucy McLauchlan (UK), Mad C (Germany), Marija Tiurina (Lithuania), Mr.Cenz (UK), Mr.Dheo (Portugal), Luke Smile (UK), Mr.Penfold (UK), Mur0ne (Spain), My Dog Sighs (UK), Nerone (France), Otto Schade (Chile), Philth (UK), Pref (UK), Run (Italy), Seb Lester (UK), Sr.X (Spain), Subset (Ireland), Suiko (Japan), The Real Dill (UK), Voyder (UK), Woskerski (Poland) and Zabou (France).

More artists and events, along with details of how the general public can get involved, will be announced over the coming weeks. Keep up to date at www.londonmuralfestival.com.