New street art mural on display at Cabot Circus to mark Bristol's best in travel accolade by Lonely Planet
The legendary ‘Bristol Croc’ has been spotted once again – this time on a street art mural at Cabot Circus!
The top hat-wearing crocodile is a playful nod to Brunel, best known for designing the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain. Both appear in the artwork, alongside other Bristol icons such as Concorde, the city’s colourful houses and hot air balloons. Commissioned by Visit West – the Local Visitor Economy Partnership for Bristol, Bath and the region – the mural marks Bristol’s inclusion in the prestigious Best in Travel 2026 guide by Lonely Planet, as one of the top 50 destinations to visit this year.
Keen street art fans will recognise the bold, black outlines and mischievous-looking animal character as hallmarks of local street artist Lucas Antics, who was appointed to paint the mural, now on display at Cabot Circus.
The artwork will also feature as the distinctive front cover design for the official 2026 Bristol Visitor Guide, also produced by Visit West, with 250,000 copies distributed over the year at key transport hubs and stations, attractions, museums and shopping centres.
Lucas Antics (Alex Lucas) says: “It’s been a joy painting this mural to celebrate Bristol’s street art scene and the city’s famous heroes – including the Bristol croc living his best life as Brunel! It was a full brief to fit in so many Bristol icons, so a huge challenge to complete, but I’m thrilled to see it now on display at Cabot Circus, and on the front cover of the 2026 Bristol Visitor Guide.”
Jon Chamberlain, Head of Marketing at Visit West says: “We’re big fans of Lucas Antics’ artworks here at Visit West and were delighted to commission such an iconic piece of art celebrating the diversity of Bristol’s history, culture, attractions and landmarks which draw international and domestic visitors to the city and surrounding areas all year-round.
“As locals, we know the legend of the ‘Bristol Croc’ well. We’ve heard the mythical stories, seen the homemade warning signs, and even the sculpture on the harbourside, so it’s great to share the story with visitors and feature the mural and the backstory in our latest Visitor Guide, too.”
Head to Cabot Circus where you can see Lucas Antics crocodile mural on display, on the wall adjacent to the central escalators to/from the car park. Copies of the Official 2026 Bristol Visitor Guide will be out at the start of February.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 is available for £14.99 from lonelyplanet.com or where all good books are sold
