Street Art in and around Lille Metropole

The Lille Metropole — an open-air canvas

Here, walls speak.
They tell the story of industrial memory, past and present struggles, poetic impulses, anonymous faces, and collective dreams.

In the Lille Metropole, street art is not backdrop.

It’s a living energy — art in motion that transforms public space into an open-air gallery, free and open to everyone, no door, no ticket required.

Roubaix The capital of graffiti and XXL murals

Roubaix stands as the epicentre of street art in the Lille Metropole.

Once a great industrial capital, the city has turned its facades, wastelands, and gable walls into a monumental gallery, where XXL murals enter into dialogue with the city’s working-class memory.

Here, the walls tell stories on a grand scale: giant portraits, powerful typography, committed works stretching along the canal, around the Condition Publique, or tucked away on former industrial sites.

A spectacular immersion — and the perfect starting point for exploring the street art scene across the whole metropolitan area.

Black and white mural of Camille Claudel by Jimmy C in Roubaix, near the Maison verte, with vegetation in the foreground. — ©Mural of Camille Claudel by Jimmy C in Roubaix.

Black and white geometric fresco by the artist Atlas on the façade of a building, composed of vertical lines forming a labyrinthine pattern.

Works that are turning heads

The Lille Metropolitan Area is home to nearly 600 murals and urban artworks spread across the entire territory, from the centre of Lille to the more outlying neighbourhoods (Deulemont, Herlies, Seclin, and beyond).

In Roubaix Street art trail and iconic murals

Roubaix is one of the densest hotspots in the metropole, with more than 80 spots and around 40 permanent murals scattered throughout the city.

– Giant portrait of Camille Claudel by JimmyC
On a large gable wall near the city centre, this monumental mural pays tribute to the sculptor and echoes the collections at the nearby Musee La Piscine: a wall that draws eyes and cameras alike.

– The walls of the Dep’Art Urbain car park
A one-of-a-kind space where 20 national and international artists have taken over the walkways, stairwells, and interior facades of a car park to create a partly open-air urban museum — graffiti, stencil, collage, all styles welcome.

– “Little Girl with a Watering Can” by Ted Nomad
Along Roubaix’s Pile street art trail, this poetic image of a child and a flower captures pure emotion — and has been making waves on social media.

– “I Love Roubaix” — colourful lettering and local signatures
Walls featuring XXL lettering (notably by Nasty) that have become powerful visual landmarks — perfect for selfies and urban outings.

In Lille Murals and urban works, everywhere you look

The city is home to more than 170 street art works listed in the Street Art Cities database, ranging from traditional graffiti to socially engaged murals.

– Monumental mural (65 sq m) by Amaury Dubois
A large, colourful wall titled “Shoot and Run” on a company building in Lille: 16 metres wide, an explosion of colour and narrative figures that simply leap out at you.

– Portraits and urban collages
In neighbourhoods like Wazemmes and Moulins, you’ll regularly come across striking portraits of women and other figures (some of which have caused a local buzz), stylised animals, and poetic compositions — all part of Lille’s street art trails.

– Works by Invader and collage artists
Micro-interventions — mosaics, pasted pieces — scattered through the streets of Lille (primarily the Vieux-Lille district) delight visitors who love hunting for hidden details.

In Tourcoing : Street art trail and cultural walls

While less dense than Roubaix or Lille, Tourcoing offers some compelling work, with a dedicated street art trail that features in local guides.

– Stencil portrait by Jef Aerosol
On a wall in the town centre, this work by one of the pioneers of French stencil art stays true to his trademark style of iconic human figures. A sober yet powerful portrait, instantly recognisable — and now a must-see for street art enthusiasts.

– Mural by Monkey Bird — Hospice d’Havre area
Near the Maison Folie Hospice d’Havre, the duo has created a mural blending human figures, symbolic animals, and a graphic composition inspired by engraving. A much-photographed work, in direct dialogue with its heritage architectural setting.

– Evolving collective wall — Maison Folie Hospice d’Havre
This wall regularly hosts interventions by artists during events, festivals, and residencies. Graffiti, illustration, abstraction, and figurative murals take turns here, making it a living wall — one that is constantly being renewed.

In the Armentières and Weppes areas street art in the countryside

Less dense than the heart of the metropole, the Armentiérois and Weppes territories have developed a more scattered street art scene, but one that is deeply rooted locally — often tied to participatory or memorial projects, or to the reclaiming of unusual spaces.

– Mural on a bunker in Illies by K Yoo
On one of the many bunkers and blockhouses along the former front line in the Weppes, created during the ephemeral street art festival “Pschiit” organised by the Armentiérois and Weppes Tourism Office, the artist celebrated the grass snake — found in the surrounding fields and said to have saved many soldiers from starvation during the terrible conflict.

– Garden of Remembrance — Sports complex in Armentières by Steeve Heugebaert
During the centenary commemorations of the Great War, the artist, commissioned by the local authority, created a multi-metre ensemble in memory of the soldiers and symbols of the conflict.

– Anamorphosis in Radinghem-en-Weppes by SWEO and Nikita
This artist duo created a butterfly anamorphosis in porcelain, in the Weppes, during the Pschiit festival.