Honestly, I get asked about hidden travel gems so much, especially street art stuff. This year? Decided to actually put my money where my mouth is and chase down the big murals myself. Figured documenting it for the blog could be useful… maybe save someone else some headaches!
The Spark & Planning Nightmares
Back in February, scrolling late-night on my phone again. Saw insane pics from this underground festival in Berlin. Boom. Idea hit me: Why not try hitting several major ones in one summer? Started jotting down names I’d heard murmurs about. Ended up with a messy list: London, Marseille, Berlin, Montreal. Easy, right? Ha. Dream on.
Reality Check and Ticket Panic
Jumped online in March, feeling all pumped. Mistake number one. Turns out these festivals? Their official dates get announced way late. Montreal’s site basically shrugged when I checked. Berlin dropped dates early April – cue frantic refreshing at 3 AM my time trying to snag a decently-priced flight. Marseille tickets? Found out through an art blogger’s Insta story, not their actual website. Almost missed it. Stress levels maxed out already. Booked anything that looked vaguely affordable, hoping for the best.
Packing Like an Idiot
Started packing in late May. Decided to wing it with just one backpack. Paid for that later. Forgot crucial stuff:
- Comfy walking shoes? Yeah, packed one pair of supposedly cool boots. Blisters on day two in London.
- Rain jacket? “Nah, Europe in summer!” Drenched waiting for an artist talk under a leaky tent.
- Portable charger? Phone died constantly trying to snap pics of huge walls. Rookie move.
Always overestimate the walking and the weather. Lesson learned.
Rolling Through the Festivals
First stop, London Calling in June. Got totally lost trying to find this hidden alley piece near Shoreditch. Map apps useless. Wandered like a zombie for an hour, bumped into the artist actually painting it. Got talking – best spontaneous moment. Some installations felt super corporate though, kinda killed the vibe.
Straight to Marseille in July. Different world! Hot as blazes, sticky air. The art here felt grittier, more political. Saw this massive crane painting on a condemned building near the port – breathtaking. Got sunburnt neck waiting around. Best part? Just stumbling upon tiny galleries popping up in basements, artists chilling out front drinking wine. Raw energy.
Then Berlin, mid-July. Pure, organized chaos. The scale! One artist, this dude literally had tattoos under his tattoos, was spray-painting this five-story beast near Warschauer Straße. Crowds were intense, jostling for pics. Graffiti punks selling zines next to tourists snapping selfies. Weird clash but fascinating. Ate nothing but currywurst and doner for three days solid.
Last flight over, Montreal later in July. Felt instantly different. More curated, almost. Big names, super polished murals downtown. Beautiful, yeah, but almost too clean compared to Marseille’s grit. Highlight was finding satellite events in St-Henri backstreets. Younger crews, wilder styles, stickers plastered everywhere. Plus, stumbled on poutine fueled art chats at 2 AM. Can’t beat that.
Home & Trying to Process it All
Back home by early August, exhausted. Seriously jet-lagged and buzzing at the same time. Threw all my train stubs, crappy tourist maps scribbled with notes, festival stickers onto my desk – pure chaos mountain. Sorting through like 2000 photos? Killer. Found a ton of blurry ones, naturally. Started organizing the good ones by city and artist, jotting down memories before I forgot the good bits. Realized halfway through I totally forgot to check out that one Italian fest everyone mentioned… next summer maybe?
Still sorting through notes and stuff even now. Main takeaway? Planning sucks, packing light is a lie, but wandering around these cities hunting down massive, colorful walls on random corners? That feeling? Pure gold. Worth every blister and weird train ride. Maybe skip Berlin in July if crowds give you hives though.
