In recent years graffiti in Bulgaria started to take more place in everyday life of urban residents. They are an inseparable part of urban culture, and though frequently underestimated they move on the edge of subculture because of their unconventional carriers (walls, abandoned cars, carriages etc.). Graffiti are the territory of teenagers and young people, functioning as one of their form of presentation in the public place. In Bulgaria the Graffiti started their life in Bulgaria 4-5 years ago but unlike in the US, they are not a means of rebellion, they simply express their author s wish to provoke interest in himself.

The Fest was a one day event, organized around the National Palace of Culture inSofia on 14 June 2003 with the support of Sofia Municipality and ATA Center for contemporary art, with the general sponsorship of Coca Cola. The program included a competition of the 15 best graffiti artists in Bulgaria. For 3 hours they had to draw their pictures around the monument in the middle of the garden.

A parallel hip-hop/ rap concert was conducted. 2 brake formations were invited.

The jury evaluating the projects was comprised of lecturers in drawing, journalists, curators, advertising specialists and public figures. The Marketing campaign of the first National Sprite Graffiti Fest 2003 started in the end of 2003, and together with conventional means (sticiking posters around Sofia, giving out advertising fliers), media partnership was implemented with Dir.bg, BG Radio, Radio City and other media with predominantly youth audience (e.g. MM TV). In the meantime Dir.bg opened a virtual club devoted to graffiti art and a series of PR publications were made before, during and after the Fest in national and regional newspapers.

The first National Graffiti Sprite Fest 2003 attracted over 1500 viewers primarily young people and was the most massive graffiti event so far. Owing to the Fest and other events we organized in the framework of the project, the familiarity with graffiti and the people that draw then is much better now.

Public attitudes, which were predominantly indifferent to negative in the past are predominantly positive now.