The street art festival, formerly known as the street painting competition, in Geldern on the Lower Rhine can look back on a long history: In 1979, to mark the town's 750th anniversary, around 60 street painters came together to artistically embellish the townscape.
This premiere has since developed into the largest event of its kind in the world: around 500 to 600 international street painters now meet every year at the end of the summer vacations to transform the town center into a large open-air gallery, sometimes with three-dimensional depictions.
Prize for the best
The best of the best have to prove themselves each year in the "master class". Here, an expert jury chooses the most talented, creative and technically skilled street painter. However, visitors to the street art festival also have a say: an annual audience prize is also awarded to honor the most popular painting among the guests.
And even after the competition has ended, the creative street paintings remain for a while: As the pictures are sealed with a special fixative, the city center has the world's only street painting museum for a few weeks, where art can literally be trampled on - but in a positive sense, of course.
Further highlights
For several years now, the event has been complemented by the street music competition and the Paint on Walls festival. Saturday evening traditionally ends with a music series on the market square. This is also where the award ceremonies take place the following Sunday, accompanied by a musical program.
Not far from the street painting areas, around 25 European sprayers will also be letting their paint cans circle on meter-high walls throughout the weekend. Here they create graffiti and mural art that is unparalleled in North Rhine-Westphalia.
