“Thousands came out to celebrate the second year of Wonderwalls Wollongong from November 8, a street art and graffiti festival an hour out of Sydney. Local and international artists were tasked with injecting the city with colour and showcasing graffiti and street art culture in Wollongong.

13 large-scale murals were painted around the city while the first two days of Wonderwalls Wollongong treated crowds to glorious sunshine perfect for painting. An unexpected weather change on the Sunday brought a torrential downpour making conditions difficult for artists to finish their creations. This, however, turned the three-day festival into a weeklong love-in, most of the artists returning to Wollongong to complete their pieces.

The 13 pieces included a 6 metre by 10 metre mural on Burelli street by Glasgow based internationally renowned street artist Smug. The bold, realist self-portrait depicts the artist interacting with native wildlife as he stares down with watchful eyes to the main street of Wollongong.

Other pieces included a portrait by New Zealand’s Askew on Smith Street and a collaboration by Vans the Omega and Beastman on Court Lane off Kembla Street.

Wonderwalls Wollongong 2013 inspired community discussion and interaction, with exhibitions and artist talks running throughout the weekend. In the weeks since the event everyone from tweens to twillights have been spotted snapping their own photos of the striking murals.

Successfully showcasing Wollongong’s creative side, Wonderwalls enticed creative enthusiasts from Sydney and Canberra to take a trip down the coast for the festival. See you next year, Wollongong.”

Check out the video below as well as a whole bunch of photos from the event over at The Opening Hours

Wonderwalls Festival 2013 from The Hours on Vimeo.