Bristol's Festival Scene

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!

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Our recent festival recommendations

Penny Serenade reveals a seldom-seen side of Cary Grant, far from the top-hat charm and screwball wit. Opposite Irene Dunne, he wrestles tenderness, loss, and paternal devotion with unshowy precision. A deep cut in the Grant filmography, it lingers in the terrain of domestic heartbreak where even the most polished leading men reckon with grief. Penny Serenade at Bristol Megascreen.

Essential documentary exploring the weaponization of anti-Semitism and the UK Terrorism Act to suppress Palestinian solidarity. Featuring Ken Loach, Sarah Wilkinson and Roger Waters, 'Censoring Palestine' outlines the mechanisms of this concerted campaign of censorship across journalism, social media and academic institutions. Censoring Palestine at Arnolfini.

Before the Iranian Revolution, borrowed cameras birthed Cinema-ye Azad (Free Cinema), a movement that grew from 8mm experiments into a nationwide network of censorship-defying underground festivals. The Cube honours its legacy with theatrical afterlife vision How Frightening is the Darkness of the Soul, screened back-to-back with dark rural fable Mir Nasir and the Ill-Fated Genie. Cinema-ye Azad Double Bill at The Cube.

Free entry! Exploring youth isolation, male mental health and the unseen pressures of student life, multi-award winning short Contact Hours tells its story with stark beauty and masterful emotional honesty. It screens alongside a sensitively led discussion on suicide prevention from the filmmakers and local mental wellbeing professionals. Film Screening and Q+A: Contact Hours at Winston Theatre.

What our editors say

“Next year, we’re welcoming a slightly bigger community, unveiling a brand new wellbeing area, and offering a rich mix of fresh and already adored dance workshops. Ah, and of course, the unforgettable club night sessions too! The farm is ready to host us once again for what promises to be a truly sensational celebration of movement and togetherness. One and only festival of this kind :)”
From: Dancing Body Festival 2026

“Jessica Olivia Neill is a Bristol-based writer, producer and accredited funeral celebrant. Born and raised till aged nine in Jamaica, her work is often concerned with themes of memory, history, belonging and loss, strongly underpinned by a reverence for nature. Part of the team at the Diverse Artists Network, one of our Creators in Residence, she works with communities and helps produce DIASPORA!, a city-wide festival celebrating cultural diversity through the arts.”
From: Letters to Loss: A Creative Writing Workshop

“Immerse yourself in the enchanting celebration of Imbolc, an ancient Celtic festival that blossoms from the rich roots of pre-Christian Britain. Celebrated by many modern neo-pagans today, Imbolc marks the sacred midpoint between the winter solstice and the arrival of spring, falling on February 1st and 2nd. The name "Imbolc" translates to "in the belly of the Mother," symbolizing how the seeds of new life are beginning to stir deep within Mother Earth’s embrace.”
From: Imbolc Blessings & Rituals - The Making a Brigid Doll

“All donations from this year’s festival will go to Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), providing humanitarian assistance as well as health and social services to Palestinians whenever and wherever needed.”
From: Palestine Comedy Club

“We've been wanting to screen Penny Serenade at the festival for quite some time, since we screened this as a watch-along during lockdown, we've been desperate to see it on the big screen with an audience! Not only does it feature an Oscar-nominated performance from Bristol's own Cary Grant (one of only two Best Actor nominations), but it also features a cameo appearance from Nipper, another Bristol-boy whose global reach might even exceed our Archie's!”
From: Penny Serenade