PHOTOS: Street art covers the East Village during 2012 HOWL Festival

For one weekend a year, the East Village transforms into a beatnik paradise. Artists paint massive street murals, dancers gyrate across a stage and New Yorkers are treated to a live reading of Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL.

The 2012 HOWL Festival attracted a diverse crowd to Tompkins Square Park this weekend. From children to the elderly, they were all looking for an arts-and-culture fix.

This free fair was founded in 2003 to celebrate the rich artistic tradition the East Village and Lower East Side. Among the event’s highlights is the “live” painting of a massive, 900-foot long street mural that stretches across three city blocks.

>> Scroll down for photos of artists and performers at the 2012 HOWL Festival.

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Street murals at NYC Howl Festival 05

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Street murals at NYC Howl Festival 02

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Dancers at NYC Howl Festival in East Village

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About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.