Frankston City will again become a blank canvas brought to life for this year’s Big Picture Fest.
The annual event hosted by the Frankston City Council invites some of the world’s best street artists to come to town and turn local structures into the latest and hottest street art features.
Running from Monday 14 March through Sunday 20 March, you can head down to the local city streets to witness some of the most renowned street artists’ work firsthand.
What you need to know
- Frankston’s Big Picture Fest is becoming one of the world’s premier street art festivals
- It will run from Monday 14 March through Sunday 20 March, 2022
- It’s totally free, and includes a Thompson Lane Block Party on March 18
Keep up to date with Melbourne’s latest art events, exhibitions and performances here.
The free event allows you to peruse at your own pace, visiting the areas artists are working that very day, as well as checking out the works done in previous years. This year’s artists will be at work across everyday of the festival.
In its fifth year, Frankston is already home to nearly 40 amazing street-art works from previous festivals, with that total expected to swell to over 50 by the time Big Picture Fest 2022 wraps up.
Joel Van Moore, Big Picture Fest’s curator, claims this year’s festival will be the best yet, with the festival evolving to involve some more technical works, while still achieving its initial goals to inspire the community.
“This year feels like such an achievement with a critical mass of walls achieved, which has ongoing effect in the community,” he says. “The goal personally was to inspire youth and the community as a whole and create a brighter outlook to anyone who visits Frankston. It’s time to celebrate and move into the next chapter of the festival with augmented reality (AR) and other technologies that enhance the experience even further.”
Frankston City Council has managed to land not just the country’s most exciting and popular street artists, but also those from across the globe to headline this year’s festival, including @adnate, @george_rose, @lingerid, @hypemorano, @scottnagyartist, @dvate and @refuz_paint.
Van Moore’s excited by the hugely talented line-up of artists ready to decorate Frankston’s streets.
“We always strive to bring the very highest standard available in Australia and overseas, while elevating all the local talents,” he says. “Globally renowned artists will once again be painting Frankston this year, with the addition of German genius Bond, who will create a spectacular AR work. I’m looking forward to local Talents 23rd Key, Morano and others to bring their A-game to the festival. Many of the artists speak for themselves with established careers for over two decades. Let me put it this way: no one will be disappointed with this year’s offering.”
The festival isn’t all just street art and paintings, with the annual Block Party being held on the Friday night of March 18. Located in and around Thompson Lane, the free party promises a chilled night of art, music and food, with some of the best local food trucks on site to fill your bellies. No party is complete without a drink, and local craft beers and wine will also be available.
For those who want to get out and see as much of the art as possible, the free Street Art Walking Tours are the best way to go. The guided 90-minute tours will take place over the weekend and will take you to many of the artworks as they are being created. The in-depth tours aim to give you more of insight into the style of art, the artists themselves and the inspirations behind the works taking place. If you needed any more convincing, Frankston’s Street Art Walking Tours just won a gold medal at the Australian Tourism Awards for Best Street Art Tour.
If you’re unlucky enough to miss the tours during the Big Picture Fest, you can still catch one of the Street Art Walking tours that run most weekends throughout the year. To book your spot head to the website here.
You don’t want to miss out on one of Greater Melbourne’s most exciting and innovative festivals. Van Moore telling Beat what will surprise first timers the most as they wander the streets: “The sheer volume and scale of the artworks,” he says. “We have many of the top street artists and graffiti artists from around the world with featured works all within walking distance of the central hubs. With every turn you are likely to be confronted with a multi-story work of excellence.”
You can follow the event on Facebook and Instagram @thebigpicturefest. For more information, head to the Frankston Visitor Information Centre or the events website here.
