Yardworks Festival will return to SWG3 on Saturday 2 May and Sunday 3 May 2026, marking its 10th anniversary with its most ambitious edition to date.
Across two full days, live painting, large-scale murals, workshops, music and street culture will once again transform Glasgow’s riverside venue on Eastvale Place into a working canvas.
For its anniversary year, Scotland’s leading festival of graffiti and urban art expands its programme of “participatory activity, industry conversations and city-wide engagement, reflecting its growth from grassroots gathering to a key date in the European street art calendar”, according to its promotional release.
Influences
Among the first artists confirmed for 2026 is UK-based street artist .EPOD, whose work fuses graffiti, futurism and fine art, drawing on influences from hip-hop culture and classical painters to create cinematic, ethereal murals.
Brighton veteran AROE, co-founder of the Heavy Artillery collective, brings decades of experience at the forefront of UK graffiti, known for translating the layered energy of city walls onto canvas through spray paint, hand-finishing and textural experimentation.
Also joining the anniversary line-up is French muralist Williann, whose bold female characters and intricate compositions draw on influences from 1950s pin-ups, early cartoons and decorative traditions, often carrying subtle messages around resilience and feminism.
Glasgow-based painter David ‘PizzaBoy’ Breen presents atmospheric works shaped by his roots in street art, evoking late-night landscapes and in-between moments. Completing the first announcement is Scottish artist KMG, whose public artworks are grounded in Celtic folklore and oral storytelling traditions, using muralism and community engagement to explore cultural identity and marginalised histories.
This anniversary edition also significantly expands Yardworks’ educational offer. The Family Zone will be fully programmed in-house from the SWG3 Warehouse and included within the ticket price, providing accessible creative activity for children and families.
A new paid workshop strand for adults will run across both days, covering specialist techniques including signwriting, Japanese calligraphy and paste-ups, alongside a dedicated screen-printing station where visitors can produce a limited-edition Yardworks tote bag.
Yardworks has always been about more than just watching artists paint walls. It’s about creating space for exchange between artists, audiences and the city itself - Gary Mackay (Gaz Mac)
An enhanced talks and industry programme will explore the role of graffiti and street art in culture, identity and regeneration. A book launch, film screening and roundtable discussions will bring together artists and sector voices to examine how urban art continues to shape cities and communities.
New for 2026, Street Art Cycling Tours will depart directly from SWG3, guiding audiences through the Yardworks-led Street Art District within the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District. The tours offer insight into the wider public artworks developed through the organisation’s year-round activity.
Gary Mackay (Gaz Mac), Yardworks Creative Director, said: “Yardworks has always been about more than just watching artists paint walls. It’s about creating space for exchange between artists, audiences and the city itself.
“In 2026 we’re expanding that even further, with new workshops, industry conversations and the chance to explore the wider Street Art District that’s grown around us. Every year the ambition gets bigger, and we can’t wait to see what this edition becomes.”
