Thousands flock to the city centre for Nuart Aberdeen
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This year’s Nuart Aberdeen lived up to its promise to reconnect people when thousands flocked to the city centre in Aberdeen to take in the street art and join the festival fun.
The award-winning street art festival's return has been hailed a ‘triumph’ by Aberdeen Inspired and partners, who claim the street art produced since 2017 has helped put Aberdeen on the global stage as a destination of choice for visitors.
Treasured by locals and visitors alike Nuart Aberdeen has, since it first landed in the city in 2017 now been woven into the fabric of the city and has enhanced Aberdeen’s unique character.
Over10 days huge walls in Aberdeen city centre were transformed into world class works of public art by a line-up of artists who have created murals all over the globe from Europe to North America.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired commented: “Nuart Aberdeen has once again delivered a magnificent spectacle for Aberdeen. "The street art produced this year is quite simply breath taking and I have no doubt it will continue to draw thousands of people to the city centre to enjoy it all year round.
“Bringing world class events such as Nuart to Aberdeen will go a long way to revitalising and driving forward the recovery of our city centre.
“Despite the mixed weather, thousands of people joined us on Broad Street this weekend for Inspired Nights and have enjoyed local entertainment, food, drink, market stalls and have taken part in the family fun activities, all of which were part of the festival.
“Our free walking tours were as successful as ever and it was quite a sight to see the tour guides head off from Broad Street with hundreds of folk hot on their heels.“
“Together with many other local businesses, wall owners, property agents, the Universities, NESCol and our army of local volunteers we all deliver a street art festival that is second to none in the world by fostering genuine, productive and mutually beneficial working partnerships, all for the benefit of the city and its people.
The street art produced this year includes a huge mural on the side of Union Plaza painted by Spanish artist Slim Salfont.
Featuring a girl in a tartan kilt the work is one of the largest the city has seen and looks set to become an iconic piece with images being picked up by media titles all over the world.
The artist and his assistant worked 10 hour days to ensure the mural was completed for the festival weekend.
He spoke warmly about his time in Aberdeen telling us that though he did not have much time to see the city the people he spoke to at his wall gave him a very warm welcome and such positive feedback on his piece.
He said that Nuart Aberdeen is “the best street art festival in the world” and complemented the organisers, Aberdeen Inspired, for the welcome and hospitality given to the artists which makes a tangible difference to their experience when working away from home.
Though the date for the 2023 festival has not been announced, organisers Aberdeen Inspired confirmed that with funding secured until 2023 Nuart Aberdeen will return to make its truly unique mark on the city for at least one more year.
Adrian Watson ended by saying: “The current challenge to towns and city centres the world over is well documented and Aberdeen is certainly not immune.
"However, our city’s cultural offering has an important role to play in our transformation and Nuart Aberdeen is and will continue to be a great illustration of this.”
