What Upfest does

Upfest Ltd is a Bristol, UK-based art company founded in 2008 that operates as Europe's largest street art festival alongside year-round gallery, retail, and public art commission services. The company runs a bi-annual 17-day street art festival in Bedminster and Southville (Bristol) and the annual Weston Wallz sister festival in Weston-super-Mare, collectively showcasing 250+ international artists and attracting 80,000 visitors to the 2024 edition. Underlying operations encompass festival curation, artist roster management, mural project production, and a physical/online gallery at 198 North Street, Bristol, stocking over 1,000 original artworks, 800+ prints, merchandise, and art supplies including Posca paint pens and Montana spray paint with 500+ colours.

Upfest's product surface spans three business lines: (1) festival operations generating revenue through visitor engagement, sponsorship, and ticketed activities; (2) gallery and retail sales of originals, prints, merchandise, and art supplies to consumers via a physical shop and a global e-commerce platform with 1,438+ SKUs; and (3) professional services covering placemaking, public art commissions, brand activation, event artwork, and private mural commissions for councils, developers, BIDs, corporations, and individuals. Core technology is operational rather than software-based: the platform relies on a curated artist ecosystem, established relationships with Bristol-area councils and brands, and standard SaaS tools (Worldpay, Google Analytics, Mailchimp). The customer base spans individual art collectors, public-sector commissioning bodies, corporate brand clients, schools/community organisations, and private individuals, with grant support from Arts Council England and commercial sponsorship from Montana Colors, Posca (Mitsubishi Pencil Company), Bristol Beer Factory, and others. Pricing is unit-based across all product lines, ranging from £2.50 stickers to £4,500 original artworks, with B2B bulk discounts of 10-40% on art supplies.

Name

Upfest

Legal name

Upfest Ltd

Website

https://upfest.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upfest is a Bristol-based art company operating Europe's largest street art festival since 2008, a year-round gallery and art supplies shop, and a public art commission service for councils, developers, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Street art festival and public art services

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Parades, Carnivals & Street Fairs (MPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA), Construction, Building Materials & Real Estate Shows Organizers (THAHABAG)

Keywords

• Street art festival
• Public art commissions
• Urban art gallery
• Mural production services
• Art supplies retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Festival Operations: Bi-annual Upfest street art festival and annual Weston Wallz event generating revenue through visitor engagement, sponsorship, and ticket-based activities
2. Gallery Art Sales: Year-round online and physical gallery sales of original artworks, limited edition prints, merchandise, and Posca paint pens. Over 1000 original artworks and 800+ prints available through the shop
3. Public Art Commissions: Mural production, placemaking, brand activation, and event artwork services for councils, developers, corporations, and private individuals
4. Art Supplies Retail: Bristol's No.1 supplier of Posca paint pens and spray paint, with bulk discount pricing (10-40% off) for volume purchases

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Upfest operates Europe's largest street art festival in Bristol and the annual Weston Wallz sister festival, alongside a year-round online and physical gallery at North Street, Bristol, selling original artworks, limited edition prints, merchandise, and art supplies. It also delivers public art commissions including murals, placemaking, brand activations, and event artwork for councils, developers, BIDs, brands, community organisations, and private clients. Festival attendance, gallery and online retail, B2B commission fees, and sponsorship together form the core revenue mix.

Product overview

Upfest is a creative organization operating as a platform-plus-services model. The core offerings include the Upfest Gallery (online and North Street physical location) selling original artworks, limited edition prints, merchandise, and art supplies; the Upfest Festival (Europe's largest street art festival, bi-annual in Bristol); the Weston Wallz sister festival (annual in Weston-super-Mare); and comprehensive project services including Placemaking, Public Art, Brand Activation, Event Artwork, and Mural Commission services. The company also operates as a supplier of Posca paint pens and Montana spray paint, and offers custom framing services in partnership with Niche Frames. The artist roster provides access to hundreds of global street artists for festivals and commissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upfest Gallery: Year-round creative hub showcasing original artworks, limited edition prints, and merchandise from street artists. Located online and at North Street, Bristol.
• Upfest North St.
• Weston Wallz

Products and services

• Upfest Gallery (online and North Street) Year-round creative hub, available online and at the North Street shop in Bristol, showcasing over 1,000 original artworks, limited edition prints, merchandise, and art supplies from street artists; functions as the company's primary retail channel.
• Upfest Festival Europe's largest street art festival, held bi-annually across 17 days in the Bedminster and Southville districts of Bristol, attracting 80,000 visitors and showcasing more than 250 artists alongside an extensive workshop programme.
• Weston Wallz Festival Annual sister event in Weston-super-Mare featuring 20+ new large-scale murals, community-led art projects, live painting, and 500+ workshop spaces, run jointly with Weston Town Council and Super Culture.
• Placemaking Services Public art installations delivered for councils, developers, BIDs and communities, bridging the gap between commissioning parties and artists with stakeholder coordination and public safety compliance.
• Public Art Services Arts production for large developments across cities, facilitating public realm artwork since 2008 and delivering curated murals and installations for civic and commercial clients.
• Brand Activation Services End-to-end project management for brand and corporate campaigns, including artist matching, health and safety, site preparation, and certified production crews.
• Event Artwork Services Creative artwork services for festivals and events, including live painting and pre-painted artwork to enhance visitor experiences.
• Mural Commission Services Mural production services for private clients ranging from artworks greater than 700 square metres to smaller artworks in schools and business offices, with vetted artist matching.
• Original Artworks Original artworks from international street artists available for purchase through the Upfest Gallery, priced from £20 up to £4,500 per piece.
• Limited Edition Prints Limited edition prints from street artists available through the Upfest Gallery, priced from £8 up to £345 per print.
• Posca Paint Pens Retail of Posca paint pens from ultra-fine (PC-1M 0.7mm) to broad chisel (PC-17K 15mm) tips, with bulk discount pricing (10-40% off) for 5+ items; Upfest is Bristol's No.1 supplier.
• Montana Spray Paint Retail of Montana spray paint, including MTN 94 (189+ colours) and MTN 300 Waterbased (50+ colours), making Upfest Bristol's longest running spray paint supplier to the street art scene with over 500 colours.
• Framing Services Custom and ready-made picture framing delivered in partnership with Niche Frames, including canvas stretching, block mounting, and fine art/photo services at Upfest Gallery.
• Merchandise Artist merchandise including clothing, books, mugs, stickers, patches, keyrings and other miscellaneous items, sold through the Upfest Gallery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000 visitors over 17 days for 2024 festival
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts LondonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-funded the Whitehouse Lane Bollards project with MyMural. Marcus Willcocks was a Research Fellow at UAL.
• Arts Council EnglandcoreOthers · 1 January 2024Primary funder supporting Upfest's cultural programme. Provides grant funding enabling the delivery of large-scale street art festivals and community engagement activities.
• Weston Town Council & Super CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Annual production partnership for Weston Wallz, a sister street art festival in Weston-super-Mare. Jointly produces the 9-day programme including S.M.Art spray jam weekend and 500+ workshop spaces.
• Montana ColorsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary sponsor providing spray paint supplies for festival and ongoing mural projects. MTN 94 and MTN 300 product lines featured.
• Posca (Mitsubishi Pencil Company)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and retail partner. Upfest is Bristol's No.1 supplier of Posca paint pens, featuring their full range from ultra-fine (0.7mm) to broad chisel (15mm) tips.
• PlasterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Weston Wallz events, providing support for festival operations.
• WG ScaffoldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerScaffold supplier for large-scale mural installations, enabling artists to work on elevated surfaces.
• Bristol Beer FactoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFestival sponsor for Upfest 2026, supporting event programming.
• Bristol BIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Improvement District partner supporting urban regeneration through street art initiatives in Bristol.
• Cabot CircusmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShopping centre partnership for Quakers Art Lane project launching Upfest 2026. Brings street art into commercial retail environment.
• Tobacco FactorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing venue partner hosting festival artworks, events, and programming during Upfest events.
• Niche FramesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraming service partner providing custom and ready-made picture frames, canvas stretching, and block mounting services at Upfest Gallery.
• NacoaminorOthersCharity partner for Upfest 2026. UK charity based in Bristol providing information, advice, and support for those affected by parental drinking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Graffik Gallery: Graffik Gallery is a London street art gallery in Notting Hill that sells originals, prints, and merchandise from established street artists. It is a direct peer to Upfest's North Street gallery, operating a similar urban art retail model within the same UK market.
• Lazarides Gallery: Lazarides is a London-based gallery that represents international street and contemporary artists, selling originals, prints, and editions. It is a peer to Upfest's gallery arm because both retail street artist originals and prints to collectors through physical gallery and online channels.
• POW! WOW!: POW! WOW! is a global network of street art festivals originating in Hawaii that has expanded to multiple cities worldwide. It is directly comparable to Upfest because both run multi-day street art festivals featuring international artist line-ups, public mural production, and community programming.
• URBAN NATION Museum for Urban Contemporary Art: URBAN NATION is a Berlin-based museum and producer dedicated to street and urban contemporary art, hosting exhibitions, residencies, and public mural projects. It is comparable to Upfest because it combines a permanent gallery/exhibition function with year-round public mural production and international artist programming.
• StolenSpace Gallery: StolenSpace is a London street art gallery focused on contemporary urban art, representing and exhibiting established and emerging street artists. It is comparable to Upfest because both curate and sell street artist originals and editions through a gallery-led model with strong artist rosters.
• Beyond The Streets: Beyond The Streets is a Los Angeles-based street art exhibition and cultural producer featuring large-scale installations and artist retrospectives. It is comparable to Upfest because both produce curated street art experiences that bridge gallery exhibitions, artist representation, and public-facing cultural programming.
• Moniker Art Fair: Moniker Art Fair is a London-based art fair focused on contemporary and urban art, with gallery sales and collector programming. It is a relevant peer because it operates in the same urban/contemporary art collector segment that Upfest's gallery targets, albeit via a fair format rather than a permanent gallery.
• NUART: NUART is a long-running street art festival established in Aberdeen, Scotland, that curates international artists to produce murals, exhibitions, and talks. It is a close peer to Upfest given its shared festival-first model, international artist roster, and integration of public murals with gallery programming.
• Meeting of Styles: Meeting of Styles is one of the world's largest graffiti and street art festival networks, producing events in dozens of cities globally. It is directly comparable to Upfest in format (multi-day live painting festivals producing large-scale public murals) and target audience (street art community).
• The Bushwick Collective: The Bushwick Collective is a Brooklyn-based street art collective that curates large-scale outdoor murals, artist-led events, and walking tours. It is a direct peer because both organisations transform neighbourhoods into outdoor street art destinations through curated artist programming and community engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Upfest.Bristol
• Instagraminstagram.com/upfest
• Xx.com/Upfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upfest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upfest