Bristol's Family Event Scene

While Bristol is well known for it's hedonistic nightlife, it's also home to many young families looking for child-friendly events. A lot of the city's key tourist attractions like @Bristol (now renamed We The Curious) and the Aquarium run one-off events providing entertainment for all the family. Both are located on the Harbourside making that a key location for families visiting from out of town. The SS Great Britain is a big draw for families wanting to look round the famous naval ship, but they also offering chilling pirate stories as an additional attraction.

Windmill Hill City Farm and Bristol Zoo run regular workshops introducing children to environmental issues and you can also get the kids started on a budding acting career at the Tobacco Factory Theatre.

Ashton Court hosts the Bristol Balloon Festival annually. A wildly popular family event featuring (you guessed it) giant hot air balloons as well as flying demonstrations from the RFA and enough food and drink to keep any kid happy.

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What our editors say

“Pear Tree is a stand up comedy show about pear shaped events between Sri Lanka and Australia. It’s about family, love, homes, knives, kids and cats - spliced with a bit of geopolitics and singing. As with her last show Boundaries (now on YouTube) Sashi’s signature observations remain dedicated to taking absolutely nothing too seriously.”
From: Sashi Perera: Pear Tree

“Now, after another sell-out Fringe in 2025, Harry is ready to shed his shell again. Because that’s what Lobster is all about — change. Lobsters grow by breaking out of their hard shells, hiding away while a new one forms. It’s vulnerable, uncomfortable, a bit of a mess… and completely unavoidable. Over the past few years, Harry and his family have had to change shells more than once. From moving to a “up-and-coming” postcode, to travelling the world, falling in love, becoming housemates with his own dad, and navigating puberty in 2025, Lobster dives into life’s inevitable transformations with honesty, heart, and relentless laughs.”
From: Harry Stachini: Lobster – UK Tour

“1987: After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and—delightfully— some new friends, including wild-child, Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family.”
From: Hunger and Thirst launch with Claire Fuller

“Michael Malay is a writer and teacher based in Bristol. He was raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, before moving to Australia with his family at the age of ten. His first book, Late Light, is about migration, extinction and uncharismatic creatures and was awarded the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Top Nature Writing.”
From: Wild Medicine

“Transferring from a sold out run at the Barbican in fall 2025, KISS WITNESS’ latest production is a mesmerising family drama set in the underworld (the realm of the hungry ghosts), exploring the intergenerational trauma born from the pressures of meeting society’s impossible standards.”
From: Prayers For A Hungry Ghost