Check out the local street art via this completely free online map (on your smartphone) that shares the site of 700 wall murals and 20 graffiti trails. Choose your street art itinerary in the menu and get ready to be wowed by the talent of the street artists behind the works.

The region is blessed with a strong street art identity that has been built up over 40 years. It has spawned some of the leading street artists, such as Jef Aérosol and Mimi le Clown, and regularly hosts many others during cultural events put on locally: ‘Les Fenêtres qui parlent’ going since 2001, the BIG (Battle International de Graffiti) since 2009, the BIAM (Biennale Internationale d’Art Mural) since 2013, the ‘Expériences Urbaines’ since 2015 and ‘Can’Art’ since 2018.

While the region has hosted major exhibitions the likes of ‘Street Génération(s) 40 ans d’art urbain’ in 2017 (at the Condition Publique venue in Roubaix), ‘Di(X)Visions - Immersion Dans Le Graffiti Nordiste’ in 2017 (at Flow in Lille), the Sueños exhibition dedicated to the street artist Jef Aérosol in 2019 (hosted by Marquette-lez-Lille Church), it can also rely on the Art Up (Foire d’Art Contemporain) since 2008 (40,000 visitors in 2019) and its host of art galleries (including the ‘We Art Here’ network) to promote street art in all its glory.

Following the success of Street Génération(s) that attracted 43,000 visitors in 2017, Condition Publique is organising Next Generation(s). Between 2019 and 2022, it is promoting new forms of street art and inviting artists to experiment new approaches (digital, virtual reality, augmented reality, etc.) by hybridising their practices with other disciplines. The aim is to encourage street artists to integrate the fields of urban planning and social innovation. In 2022, a huge exhibition will close the Next Generation(s) programme with the loan of artworks and exclusive new works on and off site.

Since 2019, the region has also run a studio bringing together 20 street artists. The Ateliers Remyco in Roubaix is not far from the Atelier de JonOne that was opened in the town back in 2017. The local area is also home to a number of artist collectives such as Des Friches et des Lettres, Epsilone, Abazedatome and Collectif Renart to name a few.

Guided tours are organised every year by Lille Tourist Information Office, Roubaix Tourist Information Office, the Renart Collective and Condition Publique.