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 2026.

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! Birmingham is the place. It’s where Sun Ra first touched Earth, where Angela Davis got radical and Dr King put pen to jailhouse paper. The Magic City lets the streets talk about how they birthed a cosmos under segregation; more than just the Sun Ra origin story you desperately need, it’s a slice of 16mm sociology. Bring some noise for the Arkestra procession + your burning questions for the directors! The Magic City: Birmingham according to Sun Ra at The Cube.

Free entry! 90 years of Afro-Brazilian carnival tradition crash-lands into the Canteen for one night only: Maracatu Nação Cambinda Estrela will suck you into a parade of whirling dresses, thundering master percussionists and soaring call-and-response chants. Better start saving for those flights to Recife... Maracatu Nação Cambinda Estrela + DJ Jake Worm at The Canteen.

PWYC! Bless the Cowfolk for this continued education in the local history of Bristol's Black communities, this time hosting a Carnival deep dive after an enlightening session on the 1980 St Paul’s uprisings. Head to the beloved Grosvenor Road hub to see footage from past Carnivals and hear stories from the elder women of St Paul’s, where Glen’s Kitchen will (of course) be providing jerk and ital goodness. At St Pauls Learning Centre

Lyrafest 2026 closes on a high with this powerful showcase of resonant storytelling and cross-continental connection, curated alongside Ujima Radio. Celebrated headliners Theresa Lola and Joladé Olusanya bring rich explorations of identity, heritage and the diasporic lens, alongside sharp local talent and a digital link-up with Poetry Africa. For Lyra Festival’s closing event, join Ujima Radio for a dynamic evening showcase of established, emerging, national and local poets and spoken word artists of African Heritage. With headline performances from Theresa Lola (Ceremony for the Nameless) and Joladé Olusanya (Jabez Incarnate) whose latest books both explore culture, memory and history through a Nigerian-British lens.

One for the sound system heads! Smooth operator Donch seamlessly quick-flips through non-stop wheeeel-it-up dancehall/bashment bangers and socca slow jams. The 1Xtra selector joins this roadblock madness from the Reload Sound crew with added global club heat from St Paul’s own DJ Eazy and Aprtment Life boss Parismatiq on the jazzy low-slung grooves. Reload Sound join the dots between Hip Hop, RnB, Dancehall, Afrobeats, UK Rap, Reggae, Neo Soul, Amapiano, Grime, soundsystem culture and global bass music. Joining them are RnB and Slow Jams DJ DONCH, PARISMATIQ from the APRTMENT LIFE collective/YouTube channel, St Pauls' very own DJ EAZY and Merce Jade.

The Cable activismcast continues its trailblazing run of live interviews with reporters, academics and agitators. This month they’re throwing the doors of City Hall wide open with Carnival executive director LaToyah McAllister-Jones; she’ll be discussing the Citizens of Culture community-first arts initiative and answering the questions your MP has been dodging. LaToyah McAllister Jones-Citizens for Culture

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 2026 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 2026 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 Loco Klub
— 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

“A high-energy carnival-style night celebrating vibes, music and food. Bringing together the best of dancehall, reggae and soca in an inclusive space where people of all backgrounds can come together, dance and enjoy a true taste of the Caribbean culture!”
From: Gwann Madd Residency

“We're excited to bring back a man of many aliases and genres, amongst them Kaptin has been on BBC Radio 1 as Chrome Kids (with Monkey and Stagga) and his carnival soca mix on BBC 1Xtra was as AAA Badboy (alongside Jus Now) whilst as part of the Super Soca Show crew he held down a regular slot on Bristols very own Ujima Radio for years.”
From: Terrain: Bangers Without Borders w/ Kaptin