Swindon Paint Fest kicked off on Saturday, August 30, mirroring past festivals, with the focal point being the creative heart of Swindon around Theatre Square and Regent Circus.
Since its inauguration in 2022, the festival has consistently celebrated public art, culture, and community interaction.
The festival’s fourth event got off to a strong start, with much of the day’s proceedings coming before rainclouds broke over the town in the afternoon.
Helen Salter, one of the co-founders and organisers of Paint Fest, said the day had gone “really well”, and described the atmosphere among attendees as “buzzing” as artists came together to “give Swindon back its identity.”
She said: “It’s gone brilliantly and everyone’s saying it’s got such a unique buzz. This is our fourth year and it just feels so much different. It’s like we’ve really come together.”
A new feature for 2025 is the official launch of Swindon’s Mural Trail Map, which details more than 140 historical and recent murals across the town.
This self-guided trail encourages people to enjoy the art scene at their own pace, so they can truly absorb the breadth and diversity of Swindon’s street art.
Discussing the reaction from those attending the event, Helen said: “It’s been out of this world. We’re blown away. They know it’s a special time of the year as well. People who have followed it from its original birth year and have come back for the fourth time have still got the enthusiasm, it just feels like it’s a new lease of life.”
Meanwhile, the artists also benefited, Helen explained, with many of them getting a high-profile public platform for the first time, as well as a chance to network artist-to-artist.
Helen continued: “Many of them have never done street art festivals, never gone this big. We’ve given them the confidence and the platform to go off the amazing talent they’ve got.
“This is all about enhancing and bringing areas into a better way of life. We’re really passionate about being mindful of that.”
An important part of that, Helen explains, is the positive impact this can have on people’s wellbeing and the positive knock-on effect of that change.
She continued: “You can feel the energy in the air. This just all brought it together perfectly. Everybody’s so enthusiastic as well.”
Helen added that she would like to express her gratitude to each of the sponsors that helped make the festival such a success, thanking Artsite, Pentel, Rudi’s, Gel Studios, Mongoose Publishing, South Swindon Parish Council, Wyvern Theatre, Brewers Decorator Centre and Painting by Numbers.
