MORE than 50 public murals have been painted in Belfast city centre as part of the Hit The North street art festival.
The event, now in its tenth year, saw artworks by major international stars including Bust from Switzerland and Lobster from Belgium, as well as festival stalwart Inky.
Festival organiser Adam Turkington, from Seedhead Arts, set up the event in 2012.
"I really like the artform," he said.
"I'm drawn to working in public art formats. I like working with formats and forms that can build community... I'm really interested in making art that connects people."
Mr Turkington said he wanted to create an event "that isn't people sitting and watching a show and then leaving".
"I'm interested in creating events which are spaces where people can talk to each other and talk about the art and connect," he said.
The festival, which ended on Sunday, saw murals created on Union Street and Kent Street.
Mr Turkington said murals are a "very collaborative artform".
"You have big artists painting alongside beginners and helping them and showing how they do things," he said.
"Local artists get to hang out and connect with people who are world-class street artists."
Mr Turkington said he expects the majority of the murals to remain for the next year "until we paint over them".
"A lot of those big pieces will be there for years," he said.
"There's a big piece on the side of the Sunflower that was created at our very first festival that's still there for people to see."
He said international mural artists have come to the festival "due to our reputation".
"Artists want to come and paint in Belfast now because we've got a reputation of having a really good festival," he said.
