What's On / Bristol Gigs

St Pauls Carnival Map and Set Times.

— Things get pretty disorientating at Carnival, don't get lost.

When is St Pauls Carnival?

This years carnival occurs on Saturday 1st July 2024.

Once the carnival has started it becomes a lot harder to work out which sound systems are where! Stages and sound systems are scattered throughout the streets of St Pauls. Closer to the time this page will include a Google map with each scheduled stage. These include the infamous PA systems and speaker stacks which the evening part of St Pauls Carnival is known for.

Our editor's top live music recommendation

Sell out warning! Fiery reggaeton riddims, low-slung afrobeats and non-stop clurb festive mayhem; get ready to dust off those winter cobwebs for a pre NYE workout with Winter Whine. Yusef Suave and J Rus, butt-2-butt all night long! Winter Whine 7.0 at Strange Brew.

Free entry! Ya Freshness lets rip on the original rudeboy boss sound with a proper authentic, highly danceable take on classic Jamaican ska and UK two-tone culture. Expect ecstatic live energy, skanking feet, skronking brass and lyrical calls for unity. Essential FFO: the Skatalites, Prince Buster, the Special, Madness etc. Ya Freshness + DJ at The Canteen.

Multi-disciplinary exhibition launch and community gathering raising vital funds for St Paul’s Foodbank with photography, painting, AV installations and performances exploring themes of homelessness and mental health. Charity fundraiser and Charity Exhibition

Draggernauts demands your wildest club fantasies! Expect a lurid cocktail of immersive carnival macabre drag performance art and post-Balter/Bangface dancefloor silliness with irreverent bounce Queen DJ Can’t Say No. Join the DRAGGERNAUTS and Step into Carni-HELL: an unholy drag rave where neon nightmares, twisted carnival freaks, and pounding DONK, DNB, and HARDCORE beats collide in a chaotic whirlwind of glitter and fear – dare to join the dark side of the big top!

It just couldn’t be Halloween without another slice of cultish cinematic terror rescued from obscurity by Hellfire Video Club. Messiah Of Evil’s a brooding and severely underrated masterpiece of American gothic, reaching near-giallo levels of lurid supernatural ambiance and twisted menace. Unsung 70s horror classic on the big screen on Halloween!

Free entry! Ya Freshness lets rip on the original rudeboy boss sound with a proper authentic, highly danceable take on classic Jamaican ska and UK two-tone culture. Expect ecstatic live energy, skanking feet, skronking brass and lyrical calls for unity. Essential FFO: the Skatalites, Prince Buster, the Special, Madness etc. Rude boy singer Ya Freshness + top ranking outfit lets rip with a thrillingly original take on 60s and 70s ska.

Stage organisers can use this page to announce set times for the djs and mcs for the music stages and sound systems at Bristol’s 2024 carnival. While the main stages focus on Caribbean music, it’s foolish to consider St Pauls carnival as predominantly dub and reggae event. Programmed by sound system owners and local promoters, the lineups for the stages each bring different musical styles and artists to the 2024 event. From established drum & bass and dubstep djs to the cutting edge electronica and house producers that Bristol is becoming known for, St Pauls carnival by night is a celebration of Bristol’s diverse music scene.

When the sound systems switch off around midnight, the party moves indoors with almost every venue in Bristol boasting some form of St Pauls carnival after party. After parties range from big club events in venues like Lakota, Basement 45, The Black Swan and Blue Mountain, to free-entry all-nighters in the pubs and bars around St Pauls and Stokes Croft. The event listings below outline all of the free and paid after parties for this years carnival.

This year's carnival after parties

Crofters Carnival: Brown Excellence, Club Siren ++ at Crofters Rights
— Crofters Rights

Crofters Carnival: Brown Excellence, Club Siren ++ Tickets

Club Djembe Carnvial After Party at The Love Inn
— The Love Inn

Club Djembe Carnvial After Party Tickets

St Paul's Carnival All Dayer + Afterparty at The Canteen
— The Canteen

St Paul's Carnival All Dayer + Afterparty Tickets

Strange Brew Nights - Dirtytalk DJs + Fig b2b Suze at Strange Brew
— Strange Brew

Strange Brew Nights - Dirtytalk DJs + Fig b2b Suze Tickets

DTYM - Bristol Pride Fundraiser at Phoenix Pub
— Phoenix Pub

DTYM - Bristol Pride Fundraiser Tickets

BRISTOL NORTHERN SOUL CLUB at The Old Market Assembly
— The Old Market Assembly

BRISTOL NORTHERN SOUL CLUB Tickets

Lakota's St Pauls Carnival Day & Night Party at Lakota
— Lakota

Lakota's St Pauls Carnival Day & Night Party Tickets

Disco Dinner Carnival Day Party Takeover at New Bristol Brewery
— New Bristol Brewery

Disco Dinner Carnival Day Party Takeover Tickets

FNUK de HOUSE'D - SECONDCITY & ELLIE COCKS at Dare to Club
— Dare to Club

FNUK de HOUSE'D - SECONDCITY & ELLIE COCKS Tickets

DJ Folu's House Party - carnival special! at To The Moon
— To The Moon

DJ Folu's House Party - carnival special! Tickets

FOLU'S AFROHOUSE PARTY - CARNIVAL EDITION at To The Moon
— To The Moon

FOLU'S AFROHOUSE PARTY - CARNIVAL EDITION Tickets

Eject x Uprise: St Paul's Afters// Rominimal, Free at The Cock and Tail
— The Cock and Tail

Eject x Uprise: St Paul's Afters// Rominimal, Free Tickets

Rockit Science at No. 51s
— No. 51s

Rockit Science Tickets

Jungle Connoisseur & The ASBO Disco: Bristol Fire at The Jam Jar
— The Jam Jar

Jungle Connoisseur & The ASBO Disco: Bristol Fire Tickets

Carnival Afterparty w/ Joker & King Original at Lost Horizon
— Lost Horizon

Carnival Afterparty w/ Joker & King Original Tickets

Carnival showdown at Revs de cuba
— Revs de cuba

Carnival showdown Tickets

SUBVISION CARNIVAL AFTER PARTY at The Loco Klub
— The Loco Klub

SUBVISION CARNIVAL AFTER PARTY Tickets

Apocalypse Bristol - Metal // Emo // Alternative at Basement 45
— Basement 45

Apocalypse Bristol - Metal // Emo // Alternative Tickets

All Out 90's at The Lanes
— The Lanes

All Out 90's Tickets

FNUK de House'D Afters with Slipmatt and Tenacious at Dare to Club
— Dare to Club

FNUK de House'D Afters with Slipmatt and Tenacious Tickets

Propaganda - Indie vs Pop-Punk Special! at The Fleece
— The Fleece

Propaganda - Indie vs Pop-Punk Special! Tickets

“Its glorious uptempo sound is a bustling carnival of stabbing horns, rollercoaster keys, relentless guitar hooks, killer choruses, unbeatable beats and a sense of boisterous bonhomie. A blur of legs, arms, pork pie hats and tonic suits, the band is a frantic mass of kinetic energy, its members suddenly springing into life, leaping up and down, rushing backwards and forwards across the stage.”
From: Ya Freshness + DJ

“Driven by a compelling energy and sublime interplay, and with a sound by turns mellow as a warm breeze or humid with the smouldering intensity of carnival, this exhilarating, high-class Afro-Brazilian artistry casts a binding spell.”
From: PHIL DAWSON QUINTET X CAROLINA LELIS

“Prepare to be dragged into a universe of neon nightmares and bass-driven madness as DONK, DNB, and HARDCORE collide with twisted carnival freaks, death-defying drag acts, and sideshow spectacles that’ll leave you screaming for more!”
From: DRAGGERNAUTS: CarniHELL. QUEER RAVE

“Jah Garveys music has delicate tones with a great stage presence, yet he remains a humble soul. Jah has played at many great venues and festivals including St Paul's carnival, the Black Uhuru Concert, Brixton Splash & so much more.”
From: JAH GARVEY + SUPPORT | ATTIC BAR

“Emerging from the sacred oak with a mission to spread love and joy, Cousin Carving, an ancient being, seeks to reunite his carnival troupe to protest against oppressive forces and create community in the face of adversity. Will you join him on this extraordinary journey?”
From: Carnifølk Presents: Carving's Carnival