Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam Returns to Brattleboro, Vermont, this October

Downtown Brattleboro is about to get a lot more colorful.

Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam on Arch Street in Brattleboro. Photo by Kelly Fletcher

The Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam is back for its second year, taking over Arch Street from October 2 through October 4 with three days of live painting, music, dance, and hands-on art activities. Everything is free and family-friendly.

Organized by Juniper Creative Arts and the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, with support from Downtown Brattleboro Alliance and Stone Arch Properties, this year’s Jam picks up where last year’s sold-out debut left off.

Things kick off Friday, October 2 at 5 pm, timed to coincide with Brattleboro’s monthly Gallery Walk, and run through Sunday, October 4. Here are some highlights to help you plan your weekend.

Friday, October 2: Graffitiboro Opens

About 20 graffiti artists and writers, coming in from Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami, Los Angeles, and Oakland, will spend the weekend transforming Arch Street into a working outdoor gallery.

The painting starts Friday evening and continues through Sunday, so if you walk through more than once over the weekend, you’ll catch the pieces at different stages.

Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam painting in progress by Alexa Herrera Condry

Alongside the live painting, the Art Yard opens for drop-in activities during Gallery Walk, including a “Make Your Own Blackbook” station where visitors can try their hand at the sketchbook practice graffiti writers use to develop their style.

“Last year, we saw firsthand how much energy and excitement people brought to Sucka Punch, and how eager they were to participate and learn,” said Jennifer Herrera Condry, co-founder of Juniper Creative Arts. “We’re excited to build on that momentum this year with even more opportunities for youth and families to engage with Hip-Hop culture and the many forms of creativity it inspires. Sucka Punch promotes education, creative expression, beautification, and community, and we’re thrilled to bring it all back to Arch Street.”

Saturday, October 3: A Full Day of Art, Then a Block Party

DOS will be hosting an open mic cypher on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

Saturday’s events run from noon to 5 pm. The Art Yard will be open all day with the Blackbook Passport challenge (collect tags and complete activities to earn a prize at Sucka Punch HQ), a community pollinator installation led by Alexa Herrera Condry, and scheduled workshops including Blackbook Sessions, FUNKtional Dynamix dance workshops with StyleFX Studios, and Graff Bratts Stencil Art for kids ages 5 to 12.

Once the sun goes down, the party moves to Arch Street. DOS of the Worcester Hip-Hop Congress hosts an open mic cypher, and live performances start at 7 pm. The headliner is El Da Sensei of The Artifacts, performing with DJ Mr. Len, founding DJ of Company Flow, with an opening set from Detroit producer and MC Bronze Nazareth. Resident DJ Ahmad Shakir and DJ Reez of StyleFX Studios round out the night.

Bronze Nazareth built his reputation in the Wu-Tang orbit, brought in by RZA in 2002 and later producing tracks for RZA and the Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture compilation, before launching a solo career that’s stayed strong through 2025, with releases alongside Termanology, Apollo Brown, and others.

El Da Sensei, meanwhile, is one half of the legendary Newark duo The Artifacts alongside the late Tame One, known for golden-era tracks like “Wrong Side of Da Tracks.” He now tours with Mr. Len, bringing two foundational voices of East Coast underground Hip-Hop to the same stage.

Sunday, October 4: Final Brushstrokes and a New Teen Workshop

Sunday (noon to 5 pm) is the last chance to watch the murals come together as artists finish their pieces.

The Art Yard activities continue, and this year there will be a three-hour Aerosol Art Immersion workshop for teens ages 13 to 17, led by Juniper Creative Arts co-founder Will Kasso Condry, starting at 1 pm. Participants will learn style writing, character design, and spray painting fundamentals, including can control, outlines, and fills. Space is limited, and registration is required through Eventbrite.

“Graffiti is a practice that has always been rooted in learning from one another and passing knowledge forward,” said Kasso Condry. “The Aerosol Art Immersion workshop is a cohort-model opportunity for youth to spend a day learning about the history of graffiti culture, developing their skills, designing together as a crew, and learning what it means to responsibly work with aerosol as an art medium. Mentorship and collaboration are important parts of keeping the culture alive, and I’m excited to hold space for the next generation of aerosol artists to learn, experiment, and build confidence.”

How Arch Street Became a Gallery

The idea for Sucka Punch started with Mike Cota of Stone Arch Properties, who wanted to bring a graffiti battle to Arch Street. What began as a conversation between Cota, BMAC director Danny Lichtenfeld, and the Condrys of Juniper Creative Arts turned into a full weekend event.

“Putting together this event gave us an opportunity to think differently about what an art space can be and how art can animate underutilized public spaces,” said Lichtenfeld. “Sucka Punch has grown into exactly the kind of project we love at BMAC: collaborative art happening outside the museum walls, in unexpected places, bringing people together, and giving artists the space to create something extraordinary.”

“Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam is a phenomenal example of art transforming a neglected public space,” added Erin Scaggs of Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. “Arch Street is now one of the most vibrant, talked-about corners of downtown Brattleboro. This event is all about art and community coming together in the same place, at the same time. We can’t wait to see what this year’s artists bring to Arch Street!”

Worth the Trip

This lively event is free, family-friendly, and wheelchair accessible. For the complete schedule and workshop registration, visit Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.