Street Art that Connects: The vision behind Flare, Ōtautahi’s street art festival

Photo: supplied by Selina Faimao

Ōtautahi has long been a city with strong street art culture, and the Flare Street Art Festival is ensuring that legacy continues to thrive.

Born out of passion for street art and a drive to keep the city’s creative momentum alive, Flare is now a key event in the city’s art calendar.

After the earthquakes, large-scale street art festivals like Rise and Spectrum helped transform Christchurch into a world-renowned home for murals and graffiti.

Flare was created to ensure the creative energy didn’t fade.

The inaugural Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival took place in 2022. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, a smaller-scale event took place in 2023, but in 2024 the team pushed forward, and secured funding from Christchurch City Council for the following three years.

Photo: supplied by Selina Faimao

The funding ensured Flare continued to grow, and grow it did.

Selina Faimao, Flare project manager said “Flare is about shining a light on our amazing talent."

Locals from Christchurch are inspired and connected with national and international artists through Flare as a platform to “level up their work and keep [Christchurch] buzzing with creativity, colour, and stories through murals,” Faimao said.

Street art is one of the most accessible forms of artistic expression.

It’s free, public, and turns everyday spaces into something inspiring, bringing people together, sparking conversations and letting audiences' imaginations run wild.

A simple walk to work through the city turns into a journey through artists’ expressive creativity.

Faimao said Flare takes it a step further by not just creating new murals but making it an experience, “connecting people with the artists, the process, and the stories behind the work.”

“For locals it’s about feeling proud of our city and its creative energy. For international artists and visitors, it’s a chance to see what makes Ōtautahi’s street art scene so special.”

Part of the storytelling aspect comes from Flare’s collaborations with Dr. Reuben Woods from Watch This Space, through art tours and panel discussions that dive deeper into the meaning and impact of the murals.

“Events like this spark cultural exchange, bring in fresh ideas, and prove that street art is a language everyone can connect with.”

Photo: supplied by Selina Faimao

Mitchell Reid, who started graffiti at 13, was part of Flare 2025, and hopes people look at his work as an improvement of an unused space.

Reid says in traditional style graffiti, the letters do the talking.

Through his teens and early twenties, Reid was often painting with no direction other than the ideology of always trying to be “bigger”.

He said Faimao has been a huge part in changing this for himself and his friends.

Building up his portfolio, Reid feels he now progresses with every piece, taking more time in planning, and executing a theme – developing from how he worked during his teens.

Another key artist involved in Flare this year was Jacob Ryan, more commonly known in the art scene as JacobYikes.

A multi-disciplinary artist based out of Ōtautahi, he has extensive background in graffiti and large-scale murals. This year he did not disappoint.

Yikes spent three and a half weeks on a mural which has been labeled the tallest in the country. Located on the side of Distinction hotel in the central city, it stands at 53 meters (12 stories) tall.

Canta asked Faimao: After the success of this year, how do you envision Flare growing and evolving in the future?

Her response was exciting for art lovers.

“We’re looking at ways to expand beyond just murals – maybe more digital activations, pop-up events, or collaborations that go beyond walls.”

Flare was planned as a bigger event in 2025, with smaller versions in between to give the city a “bit of breathing room and time for new walls to pop up.”