Street art and Banksy fans may be familiar with Cheltenham after the elusive British street artist Banksy visited the city in April 2014 with the stenciled piece titled Spy Booth, a dig at the town's spy base GCHQ.

The Banksy piece is no more after it was removed in 2016, but street art lovers have a new reason to visit Cheltenham as the Cheltenham Paint Festival returns in September.

Cheltenham Street Art
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Now in its second year, the Cheltenham Paint Festival is hoping to join some of the cities other well-known festivals and put it on the map as a must-visit UK street art destination. 

Last year's event attracted around 80 of the country’s street and urban artists and this year they are planning on hosting close to 100 street artists at the two-day event.

This year's edition of the festival will welcome back street artist My Dog Sighs, SPZero, N4T4, Philth, and p0g0 who we are told painted some of the most popular Cheltenham Street Art pieces last year. 

Alongside the national artists, a number of international street artists have been invited to paint in the city and the line up includes American artist Beau Stanton originally from California and now splitting his time between New York and California, Street artist Nol from the Netherlands and South American street artist L7M.

Other UK-based headliners include London-based artist Wasp Elder (pictured below at work on Hanbury Street), Snub23, Inkie, Samer, Roo, and Mr. Feeney. 

With the full line-up including more international street artists as well as artists from across the country the festival is expected to attract visitors from far and wide.



London-based artist Wasp Elder at work on a mural on Hanbury Street in East London.

American artist Beau Stanton
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Internationally acclaimed artist, Beau Stanton, pictured above has been confirmed as the headliner of this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival. It was way back in 2013 when we last saw work from this American artist on the streets of London when he painted the piece below on Pedley Street in East London.

With his work heavily influenced by history, iconography, and classical painting it makes him the perfect match for Cheltenham’s architecture and history according to Festival Director, Andy ‘Dice’ Davies.

Commenting on the announcement, Andy said ‘I am thrilled to have secured Beau Stanton as the headline artists for this year’s paint festival. It’s a major coup for the town to attract such an artist.’

• See More: Beau Stanton Pedley Street Mural in London. 

Artist My Dog Sighs' Cheltenham Street Art
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UK street artist My Dog Sighs is set to return to Cheltenham for his second year having painted in 2017 at the first edition of the Cheltenham Paint Festival. 

A festival favorite My Dog Sighs will be painting a very large Cheltenham Hug on the side of Thornton Mews at this year's festival.