Bristol Rave Events

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Bristol's Rave Scene

Bristol has long been the South West's rave mecca with bus loads of ravers coming to hardcore nights from lesser endowed cities like Bournemouth and Bath since the nineties. At the heart of Bristol's hardcore and old skool scene has always been Lakota, the only venue (until recently) large enough for huge, multi-room raves. The venue's industrial warehouse feel and non-central location also made it popular with Bristol's free party crews who's multi-rig 'linkups' (most notably the Gener8r parties) have also made Bristol a national attraction for oldskool, mash-up and breakcore nights.

The Black Swan in Easton is Bristol's other key rave venue, attracting promoters like Mongrel (formerly at the Croft), Tiki and Avalaf. Keep an eye on Lab's listings for occasional Wrong Music events and even check Whats on at Bristol's Motion for the odd large rave event like Battlegrounds.

Bristol Rave in the time of Covid
Bristol is easily the rave capital of the west, it’s clear from just the name of Rave on Avon - a multi-day multi-venue rave event where the streets of Bristol open themselves to fans of the whole spectrum of rave: drum n bass, hardcore, trance, techno house. Bristol never descriminates! But the only raves hitting the news recently was an illegal rave - the first of its kind in Bristol to receive a £10,000. Obviously no-one would condone raving in Bristol at this time, no matter how much we want it. The question on everyone’s lips is: what will raves look like after covid? Facemasks on entry? Dwindling crowds checking track and trace apps on their phones. Let’s hope Bristol can get its rave on, in the way remember, as soon as possible.

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Our recent rave recommendations

Sierpinski turns to the dark side for the latest Beaten Track emission: paranoid darkcore stylings with lashings of bad acid sampledelia and god-level amens. Celebrate with the best crew around, keeping arms a-flailing with their usual top-shelf old skool energy from jungle techno to pumping tribe to breakbeat hardcore. Join us to celebrate our latest release on Beaten Tracks!!

Baile do Futuro and Breach launch Talk To Strangers with a warped brew of mutant bass, erratic drum freakouts and full-tilt breakbeat carnage. At the helm: Abadir’s twisted, sideways rhythms; Distant Planet shelling pure ’90s hardcore energy; and UVB-76’s half-step industrial noise-makers out in full force. Serious bizniz! Talk to Strangers goes to Loco Klub for a night of fast tunes and wobbly grooves.

When the sheriff’s away the outlaws come out to play, so saddle up and get shining those spurs for this immersive Wild West rave showdown. We've not seen anything like this in the club before: two-tunnels of hi-NRG countrycore stompers, live harmonica splurge-pop and rural serenades + cowboy questing, duels and interactive walkabout. Yeeehaw! This is a music event with a Wild Western Twist...

Amen breaks for all! Resident at Swansea’s heroically named The Wob Mob, hardcore special agent and 160 connoisseur Grace Wolfe heads up Safe As F*ck’s next oldskool blowout. The golden era rave euphoria continues with a 3-hour odyssey from DJ Doubt + DJ Them topped off by Samurai Sounds’ Narad on the propa jungle stew. Bringing the 90s sound to 2026!

More Photos of Bristol Rave Events

What our editors say

“Fantazia returns to Bristol on the 30th August, this time for a bank holiday day rave in the brand new Document Open Air space! We're taking it back to the old school roots that built rave culture - uniting generations of ravers, DJs, MCs and music lovers under one roof for a day driven by pure energy, connection and nostalgia. From the raw warehouse atmosphere to the euphoric sounds that defined an era, this is a tribute to the nights that changed everything. Expect uplifting old school piano anthems, hardcore classics, acid house, jungle, and trance colliding with cutting edge production and sound. Let us be your fantasy.”
From: Fantazia | Document Open Air

“SUMMER IS HERE AND IT'S TIME TO PARTY Have you suffered from seasonal depression this year? We’re here to fix that - so get your sunnies on and your flippie floppies, grab your inflatable palm tree and get to the crown on June 5th to embrace British Summertime BABYYYYYY The Crown - Bristol xoxoxo Summer 2000s pop with a silly twist Expect bootleg David Guetta with a fat beat on it Dress Code not strict but highly encouraged if ur cool: 2000s summer beach party OR 2016 throwback era Got some banging DJs for you throwing happy hardcore/silly bouncy techno and generally stupid music your way. KitKat HausWife Underside Sinko 18+ Remember your ID'S!!!!!!”
From: Notizz Summer Party

“The latest edition of 2 Bad Mice & Friends lands in Bristol and this time they invite some of the the scenes finest beat technicians for the ride!!! A multi genre night exploring Everything Rave - from acid house to old skool to jungle, DnB, and more!!!!!”
From: 2 Bad Mice & Friends

“Curated by local DJs Janus and Lomare, this day is all about inclusive, welcoming vibes and top-tier dance music. Expect a genre-spanning journey designed to bring people together on the dancefloor. - Event Details Join us at The Cider Box on Friday 27th February, from 19:00 to 03:00 - CELINE DIJON - Party starter and founder of Get On Festival, Celine Dijon brings high-energy, genre-spanning bangers to the dance floor. With a wicked Voices Radio show under his belt, expect acid house, disco, and everything in between.”
From: Blue Marbles

“CAPTAIN CHAOS - happy hardcore galore One third of the Wronguns Crew, and a fifth of the Full Power Party Crew, Captain Chaos is leading our ship of villains into the flamboyant waters of Happy Hardcore making stops on bubble washed shores and lands of fun and frivolity. With high octane bouncy tunes, he will be rocking the boat with a dancefloor of stomping feet and bringing chaos to the crew!”
From: DEADLY NIGHTS