Street art and graffiti – a good or bad thing? This is probably a divisive question, and how you answer it may to a large extent be age- and social status-related.

Many people of a certain age will feel that it is simply a form of vandalism, and sometimes it is. Yet, the mainstream world loves and admires the work of someone as renowned as Banksy. The now 45-year-old is an anonymous English-based street artist, but also known variously as a vandal, political activist and film director.

His street art includes many iconic images and are works of political and social commentary. They have been featured on streets, walls, bridges and other places in cities throughout the world.

Banksy has not, to my knowledge, been to Waterford, home to the fifth Waterford Walls Festival this year. This international street art event will run in the southern city from Thursday to Sunday 22-25 August and is something to include in your plans if you and your family, especially those hard-to-please teenagers, are anywhere nearby during that time.

This year, some 50 artists, local, national and international, will converge in Waterford to paint the city’s walls with stunning large-scale artwork. This number has doubled since the first event five years ago.

Visitors will have an opportunity to see amazing live painting by some of the world’s top street artists, along with a fun-filled, family-friendly programme of activities which includes live music, workshops, guided art trails and expert panel talks.

The organisers promise to cater for art lovers of all ages, and this year there is an added attraction as they are launching a new children’s street art programme.

One of the successes of the festival has been its welcome by and support from the local businesses. This has been vital to ensure the continuity of the event, and in addition the festival has brightened up parts of the city that suffered decay and neglect during the economic downturn.

Play your part

Volunteerism is something that has been going out of fashion, but with the Waterford Walls Festival it could again become a sexy word.

Volunteers are at the heart of this event, and the organisers are reaching out again to enlist helpers, no matter how much time you have to offer.

They are looking for enthusiastic and hardworking individuals for a host of interesting roles, and they say that there really is something to suit all ages, interests, skill sets and abilities.

The upside is that you get to work closely with the team and artists, help to deliver a great event, meet new and interesting people, learn new skills and, crucially and most importantly, have fun.

A new volunteer programme is designed to suit people of all ages who wish to experience the full lifecycle of the festival.

This experience begins at the start of the summer, readying the city to receive the artists arriving in August, and ends in September after the festival has wrapped up.

For those with less time there are still lots of ways to get involved, and the organisers can cater for those who have time constraints or want to volunteer specific skills or abilities.

If you are interested in volunteering in any way, would like a brochure, a copy of the full volunteer programme or would like to get in touch about volunteering a specific skill, then contact MJ by email at mj@waterfordwalls.ie. The organisers promise you won’t regret it.