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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

An intimate set of old-time Americana and Irish trad, stripped back to the grain. With finely-worked folk weight, Kate Griffin and Ford Collier pull together hypnotic clawhammer banjo runs, intricate whistle lines and soft honeyed vocals. All profits go to Bristol Tree Craft’s community craft programmes – another good reason to dig deep FFO: The Furrow Collective, Leveret, Rhiannon Giddens. Griffin & Collier at Bristol Tree Craft CIC.

Free entry!?1 50 years of community music and culture distilled into one sun-dappled bass odyssey. We’re never one to miss a Garden Party, but this year’s something else, with Bristol trip hop street soul icons Smith & Mighty returning for the big birthday, live one-drop reggae explosions from the Golden Guild, jab house and soca on the decks from Stormy J – plus workshops, food, family-friendly activities and strictly good vibes. Garden Party - Celebrating 50 years of Music at The Trinity Centre.

Can you see Bad Breeding enough? Well, it depends what’s for starters eh? One of the most crucial outfits of the last decades bring their sandpaper-abrasion hxc death-knells to bear again, with Shitty Futures sponsored support from Zenocide’s face-slashingly dark punk metal, Shishu’s primitive feedback pounding and dungeon drone folk from the Bruxism-adjacent unit Say God. Gwarn then... Bad Breeding, Zenocide, & Shishu at The Golden Lion.

Fffffeeeeedback, deep resonance and live improvisation from four obscure sonic alchemists. Seth Cooke and Tina Hitchens present deep listening works of live electronics, weaving together delicate flute tapestries, field recordings and environmental sound. Joining the trip: Will Frampton and Pablo Jimenez-Moreno’s architectural drone dreamscapes. Tip! Experimental sounds at Kino Café. Texture, field recording and free improvisation. Drone-based performance, short intense sets, shifting group formations and open-form interaction. rrrror aesthetrics,