Colors Festivals are immersive street art experiences that currently have locations in Paris, London and Manchester. We went to check out this colourful London gallery on Thursday with the kids.
"Where do you find all of these cool places?"
This is a question I get asked repeatedly, the answer is, I spend a whole lot of time on social media - little snippets catch my eye and I screenshot them and then add them to my pile of places I'd like to visit. Colors Festival London is based on the Hawley Wharf side of Camden Market (opposite Camden Lock Market) in a spacious split-level building.
We bought a family ticket and added on two extra students. This experience showcases
an eclectic mix of artistic styles and mediums. It features well-known street artists, as well as emerging painters, illustrators, and photographers.
I'd booked a 1pm timeslot online - it was not busy in there at all at the time. The downstairs area is lit with black light and features huge neon style glowing artworks, each area has a bit if a theme from outer space to music stars and everything in between. There is also an area where you can do some colouring in/drawing with neon pens under the black light, we ended up sat there on little chairs for quite a while doing some colouring in. This space is definitely family-friendly.
We probably spent around 25 minutes looking around the downstairs area. I must admit, from what I had seen online I was wondering where some of the other artworks were? Then we realised that the exhibition continued upstairs. This area is bright and airy with lots of huge murals including a massive one of Camden's very-own Amy Winehouse.
The exhibition ends in a Brit Pop style living room with a sofa and records on the floor. As you leave there is also a small gift shop area. There are no toilets here but there are some directly opposite the building in the Hawley Wharf market.
If you have looked on Instagram at their page and are hoping to see certain art works - do your research first. I had seen a mural of Eleven from Stranger Things and was looking forward to seeing it - it wasn't here. I then looked online and realised that this one was in Paris.
Overall, everybody enjoyed themselves. It's the most I have seen my husband with his phone out taking pictures in a long time! My eldest daughter is a college art student, so she really loved it. Price wise, as with most London events, it does sting a bit especially when paying for 6 people. Students are £7.50 each - it was best value for me to buy a family ticket and add the two extra students on - note that Fever also add a booking fee to your order.
Colors Festival is in a great location, Camden can be very busy, but we were lucky that it was reasonably quiet on Thursday. We managed to have a good stroll around the markets before heading back to Camden Town underground station.
Opening hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Age: All ages welcome
Location: Camden Market Hawley Wharf Unit M120 - M133 Water Lane, Hawley Wharf London, NW1 8JZ