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Free Gigs in Bristol

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Bristol's Free Gigs Scene

Where to find free music in Bristol Free music's pretty easy to find in Bristol. Whilst most gigs outside of the big venues are usually only a few quid, it's always nice to see some bands for free or a couple of pounds in a bucket (if they're good!) For guaranteed free music with your pint, go to a venue which has a free entry policy.

The Old Duke, The Canteen and The Golden Lion (except fridays) should probably be your first port-of-call to check out Coronation Tap are also very reliable and popular for free gigs. Luckily free gigs can happen anywhere, this means you can keep things interesting and not get bored of rotating the same Bristol venues. Free live music can crop up anywhere from the Grain Barge and Lousianna to Colston Hall and even St Georges.

The economy of free gigs. Can it survive Covid?

Good news: gigs in Bristol are more likely to be free than anywhere else! General ticket prices seem to be more common between free and £5; the £20+ bracket is a rare one compared to the capital’s high-end arts and theatre gigs. Bristol’s pandemic response has opened up some extra local music funding. Will free gigs disappear with the added financial pressures of covid? Indoor gigs may soon be possible, but how many of them will remain free and accessible?

Free outdoor gigs and festivals in Bristol

From mid June to the beginning of September Bristol Council and independent organisations put on some great free music events. Best of all there's something different almost every weekend and they don't cost any money! Significant large events include St Werbergh's Fair, The Harbourside Festival and St Pauls Carnival. In addition there are some great smaller, open air gigs with free entry to be found in places like Queens Square, Stokes Croft and Castle Park.

Buy tickets for free gigs events in Bristol

Our recent free gigs recommendations

The mighty queer forces of Punka and Wig In A Box join hands for a 13 hour celebration of the weird and the wonderful with alternative drag excellence from Boohoo Mann and Dominique Fleek, emotive crayola goth crooners BLED, fever dream sci-fi glam-rockers meets Jemma Freeman & The Cosmic Something + DJs, makers market and much much more. ALL OUT/ ALL DAYER at Exchange.

Free entry! Revival-style Celtic balladry melds with velvety Americana in the hands of former Green Man Rising winners the Eve Appleton Band. Their lush layered harmonies and intricate proggy arrangements ooze with graceful warmth; art folk at its best FFO: The Weather Station, Laura Marling, The Staves, First Aid Kit. Eve Appleton Band at The Canteen.

A triple-pronged transmission from the outer plains - Repo Man warp rock into a howling, sax-splattered meltdown teetering between Beefheart, The Fall and a skip fire. Barbican ride Motorik grooves and barbed poetry into scatological oblivion, while Portrait Of cast surreal post-punk incantations into a terrain of static collage. Immense FFO: Sex Swing, James Chance, duct tape, Tom Waits, Porridge Radio, This Heat. REPO MAN / BARBICAN / PORTRAIT OF at Exchange.

Free entry! British-Americana troubadour duo A Different Thread weave together the roots of traditional Celtic balladry with Appallachian bluegrass + country to create a richly emotive strain of contemporary transatlantic folk - featuring fiddle, banjo, double bass and an abundance of honeyed vocal harmonies. Timeless! A Different Thread at The Canteen.