The annual Adidas-sponsored StreetFest went down this weekend in sun-drenched Shoreditch, and we were stoked to have been there, as it was a truly awesome and special day.  A stunning mash-up of live art installations, a killer mega ramp with a batch of insanely talented local skaters and bmxers demo-ing the hell out of it, live music from the likes of hip-hop up and comers Ghost Poet and Wretch 32, smokin’ barbeques and most importantly, a pumping atmosphere of seriously stoked revellers, all enjoying the visual and audio highs that this street/skate/art infusion proffered.

With a queue strong of 100 people snaking it’s way round the corner of Hearn St car park, the venue for Streetfest 2011, the energy and atmosphere was already electric and palpable outside the doors.  Making our way past the burly bouncers, inside we were immediately immersed into the party spirit, cruising past the tremendously talented artists, hard at work on their canvases with their spray paints.  You didn’t have to be a street-art/graffiti expert to appreciate the raw skills of the street artists, who were busy at work the whole day, pumped on by a crowd of appreciative spectators.

The sound of wheels on wood is always enough to get us stoked, and the crew of local skaters, mostly from East-End skate institution Lovenskate, were tearing the ramp to pieces all day, not disappointing the amped crowd with a serious display of skate : more kick flips, 5-0’s, manuals, and crowd-pleasing hand plants than

you can shake a stick at.It was hard not to notice the sick style of the attendees of Streetfest : already one with a serious kick-addiction, the kaleidoscopic  array of awesome high and low tops and rad-style inspired us to from now post a few snaps of style we’ve seen that we dig/are inspired by.  We hope you like.

After a few hours cruising round the venue, we hungrily scarfed down a plate of delicious grilled Moroccan-mezze, and found a comfy spot on the pavement to kick back and watch the street-dance spectacle.  Crews of breakers entertained all day long with a series of freestyle hip hop battles, a breakin’ showcase and a boy versus girl battle.  MC’s kept the crowd pumped, but the real beauty of Streetfest was the fact that you could peruse and cruise as you pleased, taking in all the activities as you wanted, holdin’ back for 10 minutes to watch the breakers, moseying on by to a graffiti-artist deep in concentration, spraying and spurting the canvas with jaw-dropping illustrations, getting stoked on the mad skills of the skaters, and dancing over to the stage to get down to some infectious beats and funk/soul/hiphop/dance mash-ups.

Happy vibes, pumping energy, wild talent and a unique amalgamation of live art/performance and audience interaction made for an inspiring, exciting, unique, but most importantly, fun day.  We’re already counting down the days til Street Fest 2012.

Head on over to streetfest.net for more info and to keep your eyes peeled for next year!