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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

6 hours of Brain Fog psych rock beamed from the unbeatable ET x Velvet Echoes third eye. Manchester’s Wax Head bring the scorched vocal gonzo garage fury, Bristol’s own Spin Class showcase their arid psych-prog and Hutch jangle their way through the sunshine dimension. When these two promoters get their heads together, it’s always a no-brainer FFO: Ty Segall, Osees, King Gizzard etc. Wax head / Hutch / Spin class / limited Ltd / Trans-Siberian Express at The Croft.

Haunting medieval melodies meet musique concrète: avant-garde folkists La Cozna reshape traditional French balladry with unsettling experimentalism, carried by orchestral swells and sublime chanson vocals. They’re in timeless company with a rare appearance from lauded local Mary Hampton and her oddball, old-world storytelling. LA COZNA AND MARY HAMPTON at The Cube.

The Cube exceeds its monthly quota for freewheeling fringe collabs! Zurich jazz voyager Tapiwa Svosve collides with viola experimentalist Richard Scott and Bristol’s peerless percussion tinkerer Luigi Marino in a borderless triptych of improvised noise, with added noodles from DIY instrument architect Llŷr Adeline, Liquid Library luminaries Owen Chambers & Charlie Miles + local drum juggernaut Dan Johnson. Tapiwa Svosve/Richard Scott/Luigi Marino at The Cube.

A biiiig Shitty Futures four-band tasting platter, headed up by Finnish power-pop-punk marvels Tiikeri. Their timeless sweet-n-snotty Ramonescore hits hard alongside needs-no-introduction garage wunderkind crew Bruno & The Outrageous Methods of Presentation, Cydernide’s scrumpy-soaked breakneck hardcore and Scarebears’ aggy post-punk. Tiikeri / Bruno BOMP / Cydernide / Scarebears at Exchange.