Indianapolis street art festival aims to break the stigma around graffiti

The second annual TAG! Street Art Festival was held Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 on the near northeast side of Indianapolis. INDIANAPOLIS — A festival in Indianapolis on Saturday encouraged people to get a hands-on experience making graffiti art.  The second annual TAG! Street Art Festival was held Oct. 19. The free event featured several workshops such as live graffiti painting and hip-hop performances in an effort to help break the stigma around graffiti art.  Organizers told 13News that the goal of the festival is to show people that graffiti art is not just a nuisance.  “It’s really all about free expression, trying new things and realizing we need art in this city,” said event coordinator Melanie Lachowicz. “We came up with this event to have wide open arms, to welcome people to experience something like this that would not be a normal thing in your daily life,” said event coordinator Erica Parker. The event also included a live graffiti wall where anyone could try their hand at the art form.