More than just a splash of paint for town centre car park

Leading national and international street artists will move into Town Centre East car park this month to give it an incredible, top to bottom, makeover. As part of this year’s ever popular Paint Festival, the car park will benefit from the incredible, breath-taking street art, as seen in many other areas of the town.

So that the work can happen safely, the car park will close completely to the public on 29 and 30 July 2023. It may be that the artists move in slightly before this date to work on some upper floor sections whilst the remaining lower parts of the car park stay open. It’s hoped that the artwork will be on every level and every stair well.

The Cheltenham Paint Festival is now in its sixth year and is funded through sponsors including the borough council and this year was also supported through a public fundraising campaign. One of the many great things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that it can be enjoyed year-round. All of the large scale / full wall street art murals are permanent and therefore available to appreciate long after the artists have left town. 

Councillor Peter Jeffries, cabinet member for finance and assets, said: “The street art that the Paint Festival has been bringing to Cheltenham over recent years is truly incredible. The council has worked hard to support the longer-term future of the festival and this year has already agreed a Coronation grant worth £2,000 and Cabinet recently approved a £7,500 grant from its Neighbourhood infrastructure fund. 

“The stunning artwork brings so much to the town and so I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to breathe new life, top to bottom, to one of our central multi-storey car parks so that shoppers, visitors and those parking up for work can admire and enjoy it.”

Andy Davies, Cheltenham Paint Festival organiser, said: “I've been wanting to paint the big wall on the outside for years, so to then get permission to paint all of it was incredible and I can’t wait to see all the new works in there. We have an incredible Australian artist coming to do the big wall called Krimsone who paints some truly massive walls in his home country so this is standard for him, but it will be the biggest we have done so far.”

Research suggests that areas with murals are less likely to be defaced with graffiti which the car park has been subjected to in the past.

Reminders will be shared about the car park closure nearer the time and a full list of alternative car parks can be found at Cheltenham.gov.uk/parking.

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Notes:

Storeaway are the landlords of the property.

The Cheltenham Paint Festival debuted in 2017 to fill Cheltenham’s walls with life and colour and bolster Cheltenham’s reputation as the festival town.

Each year, the festival has attracted hundreds of visitors as leading national and international urban artists decorate the town with their spectacular street art; with many of the works remaining permanent fixtures that can be viewed year-round. 

Previous years has seen the paint festival play host to renowned names such as Snik, Lucas Antics, Inkie, Trust Icon, Fabio Patani and Samer among countless others. 

During lockdown 2020, artists were invited to put their designs virtually onto several of the town’s walls. However, due to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, the festival had to take a small break in 2021.