Tauranga streets are about to burst into colour as the Tauranga Street Art Festival transforms blank walls into breathtaking murals.

The free, family friendly festival sees five prominent local and out of town artists painting large-scale artworks on five blank walls over three days. Art trail maps will be available, and the community are encouraged to walk between sites and witness the murals come to life in real-time.

Beyond the large-scale murals, on Saturday, 22 March, festivalgoers can enjoy interactive artist talks and supporting entertainment throughout the city centre. Enjoy roving performers, giant bubbles, live music with Tauranga Samba band, and check out local 3D artist Jamie Harkins creating an epic 3D chalk masterpiece.

Locations and Artists
64 Elizabeth Street - Haser
1 Elizabeth Street - Elliot Mason
80 Devonport Road - Jasmine Kroeze
Tauranga Art Gallery (Willow Street) - Paul Darragh
108 Devonport Road - Erin Forsyth

Activations - 10am-2pm Saturday, 22 March

• Roving performers
• Giant bubble blower
• Tauranga Samba Band
• Jamie Harkins 3D chalk artist - Wharf Street
• Photobooth in Red Square - thanks to Mercury Energy. Saturday 10am-2pm, Sunday 11am-2pm.

Artist Talk - 12pm Saturday, 22 March
The Artist Talk will take place outside the Elizabeth Street parking building (between Subway and Sala Gallery). This is your chance to hear directly from the artists themselves! Hosted by Tauranga Art Gallery curator Van Mei, festival artists will speak to their ideas and strategies behind creating large scale murals, and share their stories of working in the arts.

* In the event of poor weather, these activations will be postponed till Sunday, 23 March.

Event Map

Download map

Printed copies of the map are available to pick up from Tauranga City Library, 21 Devonport Road or iSite Tauranga, 1 Devonport Road. Keep an eye out for the event ambassadors out and about in the city centre who'll also have maps to hand out.

The festival is being delivered by Craig McClure and Paul Bradley of Lighthouse, a public art curation and production company, with funding from Creative Bay of Plenty, and support from Tauranga City Council, Resene, Tauranga Art Gallery, Fosters, and Height for Hire.

Parking
All parking in Tauranga city centre is free after 5pm and all weekend. Check out the map below for parking options near Tauranga waterfront and The Strand. For full parking information visit tauranga.govt.nz/parking.

Mobility parking
Mobility parks are located in all the parking buildings and on street. For more mobility parking options, check out the TCC website: tauranga.govt.nz/mobility-parking.

For further information on accessibility around the city check out the Tauranga Access Map

Bike parking
If you are biking in, there’s free bike parking at the Bikebox shelters located on The Strand opposite Hamilton Street and at 1 Devonport Road near Red Square. Each bike shelter provides weather protection for 10 bikes/scooters and are monitored by CCTV cameras.

Grab a bus
If you’d like to add to the adventure and travel by bus, visit tauranga.govt.nz/exploring/travel/buses to check out your local timetable.

What to bring

• Your kids, friends, whānau and be prepared for the weather!
• Water bottle, sun hats, sunscreen.
• BYO snacks or make a day of it and enjoy a treat at one of the many city centre eateries.

Toilets
Public toilets are available on The Strand, the waterfront and both Spring Street and Elizabeth Street parking buildings.