Bharatpur Street Art Festival
Pilot Project, February 8 - 14, 2026
Why Bharatpur Matters
Chitwan is best known for its jungles, wildlife, and safaris that attract visitors from around the world. Bharatpur, the region’s largest urban center, is the gateway everyone passes through, but many people feel it isn’t worth staying in and rush straight to the jungle instead.
Bharatpur is already an urbanized city, but it holds so much potential to dialogue with nature and become more breathable. Action is needed to protect that potential and limit pressure on surrounding habitats.
If we want harmony with nature, we must first build a city people care about. A city that feels alive, expressive, and worth staying in.
The Pilot Project
The festival was born from a simple idea. To use art and music to shift focus. Street art is our tool. It raises awareness, sparks dialogue, and helps people see their city with new eyes.
The pilot project takes place in a school area, using outside walls, gates, and sidewalks as shared canvases. These surfaces allow creativity to move beyond the classroom and into public space.
We paint school walls and run creative workshops with kids and teens from different schools. We make practical things together too. Painted trash bins placed around key areas of Bharatpur. Small actions that address waste, visibility, and shared responsibility.
The message starts within school walls and travels outward. Into the neighborhood. Into the city.
The City We Imagine
Over time, the dream is to create a network of painted paths and bike lanes connecting Bharatpur’s cultural and natural landmarks. From temples to markets to quiet riversides. A city made for walking, cycling, and slowing down.
A city that respects the river flowing through it and the land around it. One that grows alongside nature, not at its expense. Not just a stop on the way to the jungle, but a place worth staying in.
This festival only works if it belongs to the people. From the beginning and as it grows, the community shapes the ideas, the spaces, and the outcomes. Public places are reimagined together. Local businesses are supported through collaboration and foot traffic. Residents are guided to take part in the art, not just observe it.
The result is pride.
And a more decentralized form of tourism.
Follow along on Instagram: @bharatpurstreetartfestival
Hear the story in a radio interview.
Want to get involved?
We’re looking for artists, musicians, volunteers, and anyone who wants to be part of this journey. Whether you’re local or from abroad, there’s a place for you here.
- Come visit or lend a hand
- Share your music or your paintbrush
- Help us spread the word
- Or donate, if you can
