The ALL CAPS street art festival is taking place in Lombardijen for the first time

Under the theme ‘I WILL CHANGE THE WORLD’, the ALL CAPS street art festival shows that change can start small: with a single wall, a single street or a single story from the neighbourhood. From 6 to 13 September, ALL CAPS will take place for the first time in Lombardijen, where international and Dutch artists will create eleven new murals. Rotterdam will be represented by Tuig Oma and Kalani Ware. On SUPER SUNDAY (13 September), the results will be celebrated with a free programme packed with workshops, live painting, music and tours of the neighbourhood. Admission is free. For more information, click on this link.

Following previous editions in Feijenoord and Beverwaard, amongst other places, ALL CAPS is moving to Lombardijen this year. For one of the eleven new murals, local residents will have a say: they will choose their favourite artist from a selection provided by Street Art Cities, the world’s largest platform for street art. This gives residents a say in what appears in their neighbourhood: they can vote for the artists they feel best suit their neighbourhood. The international line-up includes Joe Iurato (United States), Sfhir (Spain), SMT Crew (United Kingdom), Stine Hvid (Denmark), Hardthirteen (Indonesia) and Filipe Grimaldi (Brazil).

Legal street art wall and pop-up

The organisation recently opened the Art Wall in collaboration with Rotterdam City Council: Rotterdam’s first legal street art wall. On this 150-metre-long site, both novice and experienced artists are free to practise and experiment. On Witte de Withstraat, you can also already visit Tuig Oma’s temporary pop-up at Showroom MaMa, which features a rotating line-up of guest artists.

Improving quality of life and safety

ALL CAPS uses street art not only to make the city more colourful, but also to improve quality of life and safety. For example, following a successful pilot scheme, dark alleyways in the Hoogkwartier are being transformed with work by respected street artists. Their work is less likely to be painted over and can, at the same time, help to foster a greater sense of safety. In the Tarwewijk, fifteen bare pillars beneath the metro are being given a new look in collaboration with RET, based on stories from residents, schools and organisations. The project, organised by the Safety Department, aims to contribute to the quality of life and community engagement in the neighbourhood.

"The fact that the local council is involving us in promoting safety and quality of life in the city is a wonderful recognition. It therefore fits perfectly with this year’s theme: I WILL CHANGE THE WORLD. We are convinced that you make the greatest impact when you start close to home. By transforming public spaces with art, we bring not only colour, but also pride and safety to the neighbourhood,” says the ALL CAPS organisation.