Everything you need to know about Glasgow’s graffiti festival coming this weekend

This weekend, Yardworks Festival returns to SWG3 in Glasgow for what promises to be its most ambitious edition yet.

Taking place across the weekend of Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 May 2025, the festival will once again transform the sprawling SWG3 complex into a living, breathing canvas bringing together world-class street artists, bold new talent, and community-led creativity for a packed programme of live mural painting, drop-in workshops, exhibitions, food, music and more.

Launched in 2017, Yardworks has grown into one of Europe’s leading festivals of street art and graffiti, a vibrant, family-friendly celebration of colour, culture, and collaboration. Artists fly in from around the globe to take part, with this year’s line-up featuring some of the most exciting names in contemporary urban art.

Visitors can expect to see awe-inspiring works take shape before their eyes from the likes of Bacon (Canada), known for his hyper-realistic wildlife murals; Zurik (Colombia/Spain), celebrated for bold 3D WildStyle graffiti; and Nuno Viegas (Portugal), whose fine art aesthetic merges with the rebellious heart of graffiti culture. Other highlights include monochrome portrait specialist Jeks (USA), mythology-driven painter Kitsune (Belgium), and Peachzz (UK), recently voted #2 street artist in the world by StreetArt Cities. Glasgow’s own Smug, the muralist behind icons like ‘Saint Mungo’ and ‘The Swimmer’, will also return to home turf.

This year, Yardworks proudly forms part of Glasgow 850, a citywide celebration marking 850 years since Glasgow received city status. The festival’s contribution to the programme is both playful and powerful: from the new retrospective exhibition Mother Tongue, Brick Skin, exploring Glasgow’s street art heritage through rare archival material and contemporary work, to the Graffiti & Street Art Retrospective in the TV Studio at SWG3, a key exhibition tracing the evolution of graffiti in Glasgow as part of the 850th anniversary celebrations.

The spirit of collaboration runs through the entire weekend, including a bold attempt to break the unofficial world record for the longest doodle, led by illustrator Samme Snow, with the giant collaborative artwork set to reach 700 metres across the Galvanizers space.

Glasgow’s radical past is also spotlighted in Collage Workshops inspired by suffragettes and protest art, while the Spray Can Upcycling Workshop, led by artist Danielle Nixon, invites festival goers to create sustainable artworks from repurposed cans – a creative nod to the city’s flair for reinvention. Between 12–4pm each day, Invisible Cities will offer guided tours of the Yardworks site, sharing stories and insights into the art, artists, and inspirations behind the work.

Beyond the murals and exhibitions, Yardworks remains rooted in inclusivity and community. Across both days, free drop-in activities for all ages run from 11am–5pm, including Posca marker walls and the return of The Cube, an ever-evolving live paint installation. The event is fully family friendly, with kid-specific mural spaces, accessible activities, and the return of Mini Manoeuvres, the much-loved family disco taking over the Warehouse and Garden Terrace.

Festival goers can also enjoy street food from some of Glasgow’s top vendors including Nomad (wood-fired pizzas), Fries Guys (smash burgers), Dirty Bird (chicken burgers), Loop & Scoop (gelato and churros), and Tony’s Ice Cream Van, alongside drinks from SWG3’s bars and Monkey Shoulder’s craft cocktail bar.

A curated marketplace will offer everything from limited-edition prints to fashion and skate gear, with stalls from Roothless Designs, Focus Skate Shop, Boondocks, and more. Dogs are welcome too and water stations will be available throughout the site.

For those unable to attend the weekend, the artwork created during the festival will remain on display for public viewing from Monday to Thursday, 10AM–4PM until Friday 16th May. School and community group tours can be arranged by contacting: [email protected]. Accessibility remains a priority for SWG3, and those requiring assistance or support in advance of their visit can reach out via [email protected].

With the energy of a block party and the cultural impact of a major arts festival, Yardworks continues to be a vital showcase for creative talent and street culture – and in this landmark year for Glasgow, it’s set to be more meaningful than ever.

Tickets are available here.

• Adult (18+): £10 Day / £16 Weekend
• Child (5-18): £5 Day / £8 Weekend
• Family Ticket (2 adults + 2 kids over 5): £25 Day / £35 Weekend
• Under 5s: Free