This new Highcross art installation is a colourful love letter to Leicester

Highcross Leicester has given its 24-hour corridor by St Peter’s Square a punchy glow-up – and it’s all about local pride.

Teaming up once again with street art collective Graffwerk (the minds behind that Leicester music mural by Wing Lo), the shopping centre has unveiled a sprawling new installation celebrating the people and moments that make the city tick.

Stretching an impressive 120 metres long and 3 metres high, the space has been transformed into a colour-soaked tribute to Leicester’s icons – from ska pioneer Laurel Aitken and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to novelist Sue Townsend and Kasabian’s Sergio Pizzorno. You’ll also spot nods to singer-songwriter Mahalia, actor Rakhee Thakrar and public health trailblazer Professor Ivan Browne, alongside shoutouts to Leicester City FC and the Leicester Tigers.

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But it’s not just about famous faces. The mural doubles as a love letter to the city’s cultural calendar, spotlighting the communities behind Diwali, Vaisakhi and the Leicester Caribbean Carnival (founded by Elvy Morton). In other words: this is Leicester, loud and proud.

The project doubles down on Highcross’s push to turn retail into something more immersive – less shop-and-go, more stop-and-soak-it-in. Or, as Graffwerk puts it: why have blank walls when you can have a full-on celebration of a city?

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