Upfest, Europe's largest free street art and graffiti festival, will be taking place from July 25-27. The event regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors, drawn to see the work of 250 artists from across the world, painting at 28 different venues throughout Bedminster and Southville.
The first piece of art to be produced has been created by Portsmouth artist My Dog Sighs. The striking design – a pair of eyes reflecting the Clifton Suspension Bridge – appears on a wall in Hotwells and is being used as the logo for this year's festival.
To further celebrate the street art scene in Bristol, we asked My Dog Sighs what he considers to be his five favourite artists who have worked in Bristol:
'It doesn't matter how often I drive around Bristol, I know I'm going to discover a new gem of a street piece hidden down a side street or assaulting my senses on a massive tower block,' he says.
'I've included walls I know are still around as well as some which have now gone but hold a piece of my heart.'
Herakut, the Tobacco Factory
Flickr: Duncan C
'The Herakut wall on the back of the Tobacco Factory is the only wall that as ever physically brought me to tears. I'd been a fan of Herakut for ages and for some reason had completely failed to realise they were painting at Upfest in 2011. I literally stepped round the corner and my all time paint heroes were working on a thing of utter beauty.
'Hera's wonderfully loose style and Erkut stunning spray work married to form a thing of melancholic beauty.'
Copyright, various locations
Cheo, various locations
Flickr: Walt Jabsco
'Cheo’s technical ability with a spray can is off the scale. Tied in with the speed he works, his confidence with colour and the charming subject matter of his work, I can't fail to smile when I spot one of his many Bristol pieces.'
Goin, Stokes Croft
Jonathan Taphouse, www.jonathantaphouse.com
'I remember seeing Bristol’s [Tesco] riots in the news a few years back. Terrible scenes of looting and fires in the streets. And eerily lit by the fires was a street piece by Goin of Snow White, bandana over her mouth holding a grenade. If ever there was perfect placement, that was it.'
SPQR, Moon Street
'Take something as banal as the weekly shop and turn it on its head. SPQR's spaceman with shopping bags is my idea of a great street stencil piece. With wonderful humour you walk away wondering how do spacemen get their cornflakes?'
Take a look at our listing for more details on the 2015 Upfest.