Lagos Street Art Festival brings art out of the gallery to engage with wider public

With spray cans and brushes in hand, artists worked on medium-sized canvases, bringing their murals to life as artists and creative enthusiasts gathered in Lagos on Saturday for the second edition of the Lagos Street Art Festival.

The festival is an event aimed at making art more accessible by taking it beyond galleries and into public spaces and engage with wider audiences.

One of the festival's creative council member, Adaora Mbelu, said art should not be restricted to galleries but made accessible to the wider public.

“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,” said creative council member, Adaora Mbelu.

The inaugural edition in 2025 featured 12 artists, including nine Nigerians and three international participants, who created large-scale artworks across Lagos under the theme “Legendary Lagos: City of Dreams.”

The second edition builds on efforts to establish public art as a platform for community engagement, urban storytelling and creative opportunities in Nigeria's commercial capital.