CITY Jam has been hailed as an “inspiring weekend for all” as 200 artists came together to fill the city centre with bright and beautiful street art. 

The festival kicked off on Friday as hundreds of residents strolled down the High Street to watch artists create huge murals on the side of formerly grey and dreary buildings. 

Many of the murals are set to be permanent additions to the city, and residents were quick to praise the street art as they visited the city centre. 

Jayne and Martin Byott, who came down from Shenfield especially to take in the art, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to see such brilliant works of art being displayed across Southend.

“Not only is it great to have these events put on to help with tourism, but it’s making the city become more attractive.”

Echo: Impressed - Jayne and Martin Byott posing in front of a Bob Marley mural in the High Street's pop up art park Impressed - Jayne and Martin Byott posing in front of a Bob Marley mural in the High Street's pop up art park (Image: Newsquest)

The festival ran throughout the weekend, centring on the High Street’s “pop up art park” where artists worked on their huge creations. 

Leeds-based street artist Jamie Steward, 40, said: “When I’ve been painting, a lot of kids have been watching in amazement and have asked me lots of questions.

“To me, it seems this event has inspired them to go home and give art a go, which is just fantastic.

“Having events like City Jam is really important for us street artists because it enables people to see what we do and allows us to engage with the community to possibly help the next generation of artists.”

Echo: Artist - Jamie StewardArtist - Jamie Steward (Image: Newsquest)

Initial pieces of art, murals, and statues started cropping up throughout last week, including a huge hoarding across Southend seafront. 

Over the weekend, dozens of artists joined forces to paint the hoarding, while a huge black box at the top of Southend High Street was painted with an array of colourful creations by four different artists. 

Echo: Live - artist working on his piece outside of the Royals Shopping CentreLive - artist working on his piece outside of the Royals Shopping Centre (Image: Newsquest)

Echo: Work - Dinosaur piece on the seafront's big black cubeWork - Dinosaur piece on the seafront's big black cube (Image: Newsquest)

Echo: Transformed - grey and dreary High Street building with splashes of bright coloursTransformed - grey and dreary High Street building with splashes of bright colours (Image: Newsquest)

Aston Line, Westborough ward Labour councillor, said: “Southend is spoilt for talent and City Jam allows them to show off their work on a big platform.

“People seeing and interacting with artists is beneficial as they can become inspired to take up art. Our arts and culture offering should definitely be expanded.”

This was the second annual City Jam festival, and it is hoped the event will return next year as well.