Big Picture Fest Newcastle involves 12 large scale street art pieces between Union and Brown streets. It runs officially from Friday to Sunday.

It's the first time Big Picture Fest is being held in Newcastle, and festival director Becky Kiil said while COVID-19 had meant some activities had to be cancelled, it had also created a silver lining.

"We had to cancel international artists, which means it is almost entirely involving greater Hunter artists," Ms Kiil said.

Ms Kiil runs a walking tour business, Newcastle Afoot, and said she saw huge potential in the city for art installation.

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"There's a huge corridor of long buildings on Hunter Street which are practically a huge canvas," she said.

"But for me it's not just about big pieces of art. It's about celebrating creative culture in Newcastle long-term and the vibrance that will come from that.

"It improves the beautification of our city and also creates more foot traffic and increases support of businesses and the creative community."

People are welcome to roam the streets or check out the art via livestream. Ms Kiil said to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, a marshall will be employed to ensure people are social distancing, and said organisers were asking people not to hang around at the installations too long. The murals will also remain in place beyond this weekend, so people can view them at a later date to avoid crowding.

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