NASHUA, N.H. — Dozens of artists, crew members and volunteers descended on downtown Nashua’s rail trail Saturday with gallon paint cans, hundreds of spray-paint cans and a small fleet of scissor lifts.
They brought creativity, talent and a shared generosity of spirit.
Working along three blocks of the trail between Elm and Ash streets, the artists transformed walls, building facades and roughly a dozen large panels, giving the Tree Streets neighborhood a new outdoor gallery.
Art City Nashua was a one-day festival organized by local resident Kori Thomas, a mural artist who works as Quest Nine and is known to friends as “Q.” Thomas brought together fellow wall-art creators to make the transformation happen.
Thomas estimated that about 2,000 people attended the festival, watching artists at work throughout the day. For some, it was an unexpected addition to their regular walk; for others, it was a destination.
“People walk the trail every day, and they stayed a little bit longer,” Thomas said. “Other people came from all over, and they stayed for maybe three or four hours.”
The festival’s goal was both to involve the community and introduce visitors to the neighborhood. Art City Nashua 2026 achieved both, Thomas said.
“We had the neighborhood out helping, cleaning, moving things and breaking up the mess, and that was really wonderful,” she said. “A lot of people from the neighborhood said this was one of the best days of their life. Like, this was the best event they’d ever been to, and they couldn’t believe it. They didn’t even know about art like this.”
Watching the work take shape in a single day also gave some visitors a sense of creative possibility, Thomas said.
“We’re creating a spark of what art could be to somebody who doesn’t create,” she said. “Seeing the process makes them think, ‘I might be able to do that,’ or, ‘I used to draw.’ Those are the stories you get from people.”
On Sunday morning, after the crowd had left and only a few artists remained to finish their work, Thomas surveyed the scene with satisfaction.
“We’re really making an impact on communities, and it doesn’t have to be my hometown,” she said. “Although this is mine, I think we can do this anywhere and have a very similar reaction. But I would really like to keep doing this in Nashua.”
“I love doing it and being able to walk home at the end.”
