Tapia Festival has returned after a year, ready to unfold before autumn settles in. The fourth edition of the Sant Joan urban arts festival will take place in a few weeks, from June 17 to 19, with six open spaces serving as canvases for new works. Additionally, twenty pieces from earlier editions will join the city’s artistic heritage, a program supported by the Sant Joan City Council since its inception.
Organizers of Tapia Fest, the artists Toni Cuatrero and Misebeside Conxi Baeza, invited four artists and a collective to contribute. The project distributes a large mural, two interior walls, and two electrical cabinets across several sites. The mural is led by Valencian artist Mankey, known for painting from Sagunto Port to Berlin. This year, the intervention begins on the 13th and wraps up by the 19th along Calle del Quijote. Mankey explores human behavior and the contradictions tied to personal ambitions, expressed through a fusion of playful cues and reflective undertones that invite observers to pause and think.
Trio Musa, Laia, and Aire from Barcelona and Madrid will work on Calle del Pintor Manuel Baeza Gómez. Gathered as a woman-led collective, they reinterpret classic wild style graffiti influenced by New York Muse’s lyrical cadence, while Laia’s bold color handling and a nod to traditional American graffiti infuse a sense of infectious energy and a fresh lens on this urban craft.
Mass Shine, a multidisciplinary artist who left a mark on Alicante during the 2020 EdusiArt program, will paint on Calle Colón, while another Alicante artist takes to Calle Magallanes. Their approach moves with nature, music, and the rhythm of dots, circles, irregular lines, and organic shapes, creating a living dialogue with the surrounding walls.
The wall art duo 13 will join Calle Magallanes in a collaboration led by John Duran. Drawing on 1990s graffiti influences, Double 13 transforms spaces to restore places’ identities and highlight social, environmental, or cultural themes. The project features a notorious hyper-realistic mural depicting a whale entangled in plastic, a striking reminder of the ongoing Ocean Free Plastic initiative in Alicante.
Work by Gista One is also showcased as part of the broader artistic dialogue with an essence that blends urban texture and contemporary sensibilities, bringing a distinct voice to the cityscape.
Beyond the walls, Wall Four will celebrate a major day on June 18 with three concerts featuring Le Grand Wednesday, Los Ibiza, and R de Rumba. A creative market with a dozen craft stalls, two hands-on workshops, and a family-friendly activity zone will accompany the musical program, turning the day into a neighborhood-wide celebration of street culture.
The festival concludes with a traditional guided tour of the new murals on Sunday, June 19. The route, called Street Art de Sant Joan, highlights 23 points of interest mapped to reflect the city’s evolving urban landscape, including areas that have historically faced neglect or abandonment. The organizing team emphasizes that this cultural heritage is a living, growing asset created by residents over several years, and their sustained enthusiasm reinforces the festival’s annual continuation.