Upfest Urban Arts Festival & why it's special to me.

This weekend sees Southville come alive as 250 urban artists take to the street to create bright, colourful & inspiring pieces of art which will be auctioned off this Monday.

I have gone along to every Upfest since it was started in 2008. However since 2010 the  event now holds special meaning to me as I remember walking around the streets of Southville in the beautiful sunshine with a big smile on my face after finding out the day before that i was pregnant with my son Henry. I felt waves of nausea as I strolled around smelling the fumes of the spray paint, but each wave of sickness made me smile as it was the first time in all of my pregnancies that i had felt sick. I took that as a sign that this baby might be a fighter & things might turn out well. I went back last year with my baby strapped tightly to my chest & it was really emotional for me as i remembered the previous year knowing that day filled with hope, sunshine & laughs was in fact the beginning of my motherhood journey. I know that it's really soppy, but as i walk around looking at all of the beautiful colours, seeing everybody of all ages having fun I always feel really happy & the memory of my joy in 2010 is never far from my mind.  

I went down on Saturday afternoon with my Sister. It was one of those rare occasions where I was without Henry as he was off partying with his daddy. This meant I was free to indulge in a few pints as i explored North Street. This was lovely as i never really drink anymore as i have been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the last 2 years! I had a warm fuzzy glow thanks to my low tolerance to cider nowadays, but it added to my enjoyment of the day. Among the crowds were people out to have a good time in a street party mood, as well as Families walk around with their children & much loved pets. It was typical of any community event held in Bristol because everybody is welcome & everybody seems to have a good time despite the diversity of the crowds. It really is why i love this city so much, because I know that my Son will grow up seeing that he gets to join in and enjoy all that the city has to offer without being resigned to a children's corner away from all of the action! There is so much for children to do there, but it's all part of the main action too making them feel like part of the event! 

The artwork created at Upfest seems to get bigger & better every year with more and more artists coming to showcase their talent. The main attraction this year however seemed to be The Upfest Tube located on Greville Road, which pays homage to Graffiti's roots in hip hop culture & the early New York Subway graffiti. It's a massive project & really does have an amazing retro feel to it, but with a cheeky jubilee twist at the end of the carriage with a portrait of the Queen holding a spray can. 

There was a real Jubilee theme to this year's offerings (one of the artists even had a red, white & blue coloured beard!) & the bunting and general festivities gave this year's Upfest a 'Alternative street party' feel. I'm not sure it's what the Queen had in mind, but people were out in force celebrating our local culture so I think it's even better than eating M&S Jubilee cakes under naff Union Jack bunting! 😉  I really enjoyed wandering around without having to worry about a toddler, but it somehow didn't feel right going without Henry. So i decided to return today with the whole family (George the dog came too!) to see how all of the artwork had progressed. It was a lovely afternoon as we had lunch at The Spotted Cow, visited the Tobacco Factory Market (where I found the most delicious salted caramel macaroons!) and walked along the quieter streets admiring all they had to offer. 

2012's Upfest offered me another of it's perfect moments this afternoon as we were walking around North Street Green. Not long after we arrived there the rain came pouring down in a heavy shower sending all of us running into the refreshments tent. We all huddled together in the small tent under the bunting watching as children decorated tea cups. The rain then disappeared as suddenly as it arrived & for the first time that day the sun came out in full force. Everybody filtered back outside smiling & laughing at our crazy weather and the DJ played Blind Melon's classic tune 'No Rain'. It was perfect & i was so happy that we had gone back down as a family. I can't imagine going there & no sharing it with Henry anymore! I think that the majority of my favourite pieces were based here so I got to take them all in with the sun shining & the perfect song playing. Thank you Upfest for giving me more perfect memories!! 

So there you have it, my take on what is becoming a great Bristolian tradition! I love going for my own personal reasons, but i also love how it reminds me what a great place Bristol is to raise children! If you haven't managed to pop down to Southville to see everything yet, it will all be on display tomorrow too.