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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

Free entry! Breakfast Recs hit double digits! This sunny outdoor shindig oughta help em blow out the candles nicely, with a cracking roster of label veterans including: Mumble Tide’s heart-aching slacker rock, lugubrious Dunedin-worshipping jangle from The Cindys, a revival of Slonk’s ramshackle bedroom punk and ofc, in-house heroes Langkamer. 10 more years! 10 more years! Breakfast Records 10th Birthday Party at Lost & Grounded Brewery.

A Cuculi x Circomedia community gathering complete with restorative Palestinian dinner, a welcoming workshop on Sephardi Jewish and Arabic musical traditions, and a live set from acclaimed artists Ana Silvera and Saied Silbak. Their collaboration draws together virtuosic oud, layered vocals, and folk forms shaped by migration and the diasporic histories, in gorgeous company with t l k’s experimental downtempo. Ana Silvera & Saied Silbak / t l k at Circomedia.

Sell out warning! Finally, Coil drone journeyman Drew McDowall comes to town, headlining this 10/10 fundraiser for displaced people in Lebanon. Drew’s sacred drift’s accompanied by a poignant screening of the poetic A Letter From Beirut + a first time flute’n’vocal collab between Viridian Ensemble’s Tina Hitchens and Bint Mbareh. In the bar: Mayss will get you dreaming with zoned minimal wave and experimental selections. Fundraiser w/ Drew McDowall, A Letter from Beirut at The Cube.

Free entry! Dreamwave’s spellbinding stoner-surfbeat’s sent them stratospheric. Indulge in their Nuggets-grade garage-pop and fuzz-guitar frenzies, with all $ raised going to Caring in Bristol. Essential local act FFO: Ty Segall, Syd Barrett, Night Beats, Osees, King Gizzard. Bristol’s neo-psych heavyweights Dreamwave headline a massive night at Wiper and True.