Lagos Street Art Festival Takes Creativity Into Public Spaces

Artists and creative enthusiasts gathered in Lagos on Saturday for the second edition of the Lagos Street Art Festival, which is focused on making art more accessible to wider audiences.

The event places creative work in public spaces rather than limiting it to traditional gallery settings. During the festival, artists worked with spray cans and brushes on medium-sized canvases.

Art beyond gallery walls

The festival is designed to connect artists with members of the public while creating opportunities for creative expression and engagement. Its organisers are using public art to support community engagement and urban storytelling in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Adaora Mbelu, a member of the festival’s creative council, said art should not be restricted to galleries. She said artists were being offered a way to express their creativity, gain visibility and commercialise their work.

“The galleries won’t take them. And so, we’re giving them that opportunity to actually allow them to express their creativity, one, but also to be able to have a platform where they can have visibility and also commercialise their work,” Mbelu said.

Building on the 2025 inaugural edition

The festival’s first edition, held in 2025, featured 12 artists: nine Nigerians and three international participants. They produced large-scale artworks across Lagos under the theme “Legendary Lagos: City of Dreams.”

The second edition builds on those efforts to establish public art as a platform for community engagement, urban storytelling and creative opportunities. The festival’s wider aim is to bring art closer to people by taking it into shared public environments and encouraging broader participation.