From July 31 to August 2, 2026, the festival took place for the 14th time, once again bringing color, creativity, and international flair to the city center. The city center was transformed into a large open-air gallery: More than 30 artists traveled to the Jade City, turned the asphalt into a canvas, and created their works of art right before the visitors’ eyes.
The highlight of the festival was the street art competition in the city center. With a lot of passion, talent, and chalk, the artists created impressive images that transported viewers into worlds of imagination. Visitors could watch the creative process unfold live on Friday and Saturday, before admiring the finished works on Sunday.
As is well known, art is diverse—and so are the works created as part of the street art competition on Marktstraße. Two designs were also rendered on wooden panels in the NordseePassage. Once again this year, the NordseePassage served as the main partner of the International Street Art Festival and provided significant support for the event. From imaginative motifs to astonishingly realistic depictions, there was something for everyone. The works—and the artists themselves—each told their own unique story. This year’s participants came from 13 different countries, representing cultural diversity and internationalism. Among the countries represented were Mexico, Pakistan, Latvia, Japan, the United States, and many more.
Familiar faces, such as street artists Melina Berg, Daphne Palomo, Murals of Baltimore, and Stefan Pollack, were back again this year. New creative talents, including Brigid Higgins from the U.S. and Claudio Mtanous from Mexico, brought a breath of fresh air to the North Sea. A total of nine artists participated in the festival for the first time. Their participation was made possible by partners and sponsors who underwrote the paintings. Mexican artist Erik Montanez secured a spot at the StreetArt Festival in Germany through the Mexican partner festival “Bella Via” and was once again able to win over the Wilhelmshaven audience. He last visited Wilhelmshaven in 2019.
Entries were submitted in the categories “Fine Art,” “Copy,” and “3D.” The audience decided who came out on top. In addition, the artists themselves had a say: The so-called “Artist’s Prize” goes to the person whose work impressed the most fellow artists. In addition to fame and glory, the first-place winner receives a spot at the “Bella Via” Festival in Monterrey.
A special highlight of this year’s StreetArt Festival was the large 3D painting by Lydia and Vanessa Hitzfeld on Valoisplatz. As the highlight partner for the 3D artwork, Sparkasse Wilhelmshaven supported this unique artistic experience, helping to make one of the festival’s visual highlights possible. The two artists brought their many years of experience, great passion, and impressive skill in street painting to Wilhelmshaven.
