Painting the town Ed - new city mural to honour Ed Sheeran

Thursday, 8 March 2018

Dunedin ratepayers are paying $8000 for a mural of pop star Ed Sheeran, who will play three concerts in the city.

Work by local artist Tyler Kennedy Stent to transform a wall of the former Bath St nightclub is expected to start on Friday.

The image is expected to take four days to complete.

John Christie, director of Enterprise Dunedin, which funded the $8350 project including resource consent, scaffolding and artist fees, said the street art project and other events meant 'we will literally paint the town Ed'.

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The street art was facilitated by the Dunedin Street Art Trust, which had commissioned more than 40 artworks adorning walls around the city's CBD.

Sheeran would arrive in New Zealand at the end of March, to embark on a six-date tour starting in Auckland.

Dunedin would host more than 60,000 visitors and 100,000 concertgoers. To capitalise on the occasion a festival would be held over Easter.

That would include the Octagon transformed to a family friendly area.

Christie said it was important for the city to show 'our capability and attractiveness as a host city and visitor destination'.

After sold-out shows at Mt Smart the British pop star is playing Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on March 29, 31 and April 1, with tickets only available for the third show.

Opening acts would be Six60 in Dunedin and Drax Project in Auckland.