Best of Wilhelmshaven Street Art Festival (11 Photos)

More than 30 artists from 13 countries turned Wilhelmshaven’s city center into an open-air gallery.

Held from July 31 to August 2, 2026, the 14th International StreetArt Festival Wilhelmshaven filled the city center with pavement paintings, chalk portraits, and 3D illusions. Visitors watched the works take shape on Friday and Saturday before seeing the finished pieces on Sunday.

The competition ran along Marktstraße, with two works created on wooden panels inside the NordseePassage and an interactive 3D centerpiece on Valoisplatz. The audience chose the 3D, Copy, and Freestyle winners, while the participating artists chose the recipient of the separate Artist Prize.

Explore the complete festival artist lineup and follow the International StreetArt Festival Wilhelmshaven on Instagram. All photographs are credited to Rabbithole Photography.

More: See Every Artwork and the Full 2026 Results

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🦎 Axolotls Spill Into the Street — By Erik Montañez in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Erik Montañez makes the pavement look flooded as two axolotls spill from a tipped glass jar. One reveals a skeletal body beneath its pink exterior, adding a second surprise to the illusion. The official festival results show that the public awarded Montañez first place in the 3D category.

More: See More 3D Street Art by Erik Montañez

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🐸 “The Insatiable Mr. Toad” — Recreated in Chalk by Sara Nybo After Heather Edwards in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

For the festival’s Copy category, Sara Nybo recreated Heather Edwards’s Disney Fine Art image “The Insatiable Mr. Toad” in chalk. The image shows J. Thaddeus Toad attempting to fly with bat-like wings strapped to his back. Nybo’s version placed second among the Copyists, according to the festival’s official results.

More: See More Chalk Art by Sara Nybo

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💤 A Dream With Wings — By Canaco Matsumoto in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Canaco Matsumoto surrounds a sleeping child with an iridescent, bubble-like form as birds gather around the scene. The long anamorphic composition settles into its intended shape only from the photographer’s viewpoint. It placed second in the 3D category, according to the festival’s official results.

More: See More 3D Street Art by Canaco Matsumoto

🔗 Follow Canaco Matsumoto on Instagram

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🚀 Ready for Space — By Carlos Robledo in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Carlos Robledo turns the paving stones into the visor of a spacesuit. The name “Sara” appears along the lower edge of the helmet, while flowers, stars, and small illustrated characters surround the carefully rendered face. The work placed third in the Freestyle category, according to the festival’s official results.

More: See More Chalk Art by Carlos Robledo

🔗 Follow Carlos Robledo on Instagram

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🪷 Still Water — By Marion Ruthardt in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Marion Ruthardt turns the gray pavement into a dark pond filled with lily pads and white flowers. Krishna, recognizable by his blue skin and peacock-feather crown, sits above the painted water on a small rock. The participating artists selected Ruthardt for the festival’s Artist Prize, as confirmed in the official announcement.

More: See More 3D Street Art by Marion Ruthardt

🔗 Follow Marion Ruthardt on Instagram

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🎮 Player One Steps Out — By Milivoj Kostić in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Milivoj Kostić opens a geometric pit in the pavement, placing an armored, controller-wielding woman behind a painter holding a palette and brush. The scene brings video-game imagery and the act of painting into the same illusion. It placed third in the 3D category, according to the festival’s official results.

More: See More 3D Street Art by Milivoj Kostić

🔗 Follow Milivoj Kostić on Instagram

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🧜 Mermaid on Valoisplatz — By Lydia and Vanessa Hitzfeld in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Lydia and Vanessa Hitzfeld transformed Valoisplatz into a 600-square-meter rocky pool with an enormous pink-tailed mermaid. Lydia described the scene as a mermaid washed ashore by the last high tide and finding a new home in the middle of the square. The mother-and-daughter team began work more than a week before the festival weekend, and the finished piece was designed as an interactive experience.

More: See How Wilhelmshaven’s Giant Mermaid Was Made

🔗 Follow Lydia Hitzfeld and Vanessa Hitzfeld on Instagram

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🦅 “Die Wächterin” — By Dawn Wagner in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Golden wings and dark feathers frame the central portrait in Dawn Wagner’s “Die Wächterin,” or “The Guardian.” Fine details give the pavement drawing the finish of a polished illustration. The audience selected it for first place in the Freestyle category, as recorded in the festival’s official results.

More: See More Pavement Art by Dawn Wagner

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🤝 Held Close — By Manuel GoQu in Wilhelmshaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Manuel GoQu focuses on small details of affection: the girl leaning back, the arm around her shoulder, and the older woman’s deeply lined hands resting across her dress. The closely framed composition placed second in the Freestyle category, according to the festival’s official results.

More: See More Chalk Portraits by Manuel GoQu

🔗 Follow Manuel GoQu on Instagram