Bristol festivals draw huge crowds year on year - from commercially run events like Tokyo World Festival in Eastville park to free (and community minded) events like Trinity Garden Party and St. Paul's carnival. There are a string of multi-venue festivals (in the style of Sonar in Barcelona) around the Stokes Croft area including Simple Things and Rave on Avon. Simple Things has expanded somewhat in the last few years and taken over the city's flagship venue, Colston Hall.
As well as music festivals, Bristol's deep historical connection to street art is celebrated in day events like Upfest. Centred around the recently created (and unofficial) street art district - North Street - you can spend the day watching apartment blocks getting a new lick of paint from head to toe. Truly a festival not to be missed!
Our recent festival recommendations
10 years strong, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival is a celebration of the proud connection between two distant places. It’s maybe your only chance to see these prestigious, boundary pushing shorts, feature lengths, documentaries, plays and comedies from the region’s foremost creative minds.
Fedayin: Georges Abdallah's Fight at The Cube.
10 years strong, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival is a celebration of the proud connection between two distant places. It’s maybe your only chance to see these prestigious, boundary pushing shorts, feature lengths, documentaries, plays and comedies from the region’s foremost creative minds.
BPFF Palestinian shorts night at Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre.
10 years strong, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival is a celebration of the proud connection between two distant places. It’s maybe your only chance to see these prestigious, boundary pushing shorts, feature lengths, documentaries, plays and comedies from the region’s foremost creative minds.
Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege) at Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre.
10 years strong, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival is a celebration of the proud connection between two distant places. It’s maybe your only chance to see these prestigious, boundary pushing shorts, feature lengths, documentaries, plays and comedies from the region’s foremost creative minds.
Gaza Mon Amour at The Cube.
Simo Lagnawi , the Ambassador of Gnawa Culture in Uk & charismatic creator , leader of Gnawa Blues All Stars, Simo, has been BBC Proms BBC World service ,CNN World BBC 3 ,Vox Africa & Other serveses radios & Magazines around the world & performed at a host of festivals including Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Latitude and Boom Town.
Led by Bristol's best dressed drummer, the 16 piece Big R Big Band are firm favourites with the Bristol swing dance crowd. Frequent performers at the Slapstick and Harbourside festivals, as well as the regular Bristol swing events that happen in the city, Big R can also be found swinging across the rest of the West Country. Dashing, debonair, dandy and dapper, the classic swing tunes of the 30's and 40's are looking, and sounding, pretty damn good.
Are interested in working or gaining experience in festivals and events and/or have never been to a festival and would like to see the work that goes into create a large event
Back in Brazil started working on band arrangements for his compositions. Won a contest as the Best Street Music group in São Paulo and managed a tour with over 30 successful gigs around festivals and venues in the UK 2019.
L-ACOUSTICS is a French manufacturer of loudspeakers and amplifiers, headquartered in Marcoussis, south of Paris. They are well known for providing Glastonbury, Boomtown and other epic festivals with their powerful speakers.