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
It just couldn’t be Halloween without another slice of cultish cinematic terror rescued from ghoulish 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.
Hellfire Video Clubs presents: Messiah Of Evil at The Cube.
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.
Essential local heads clash with next-gen ruffneck junglism from No Nation, going track-for-track with local OG free party legend Beau Selecter. Expect dark techstep rollers and amen break tearouts all night long.
No Nation b2b Beau Selecter
Sell out warning! Explosive Afro-Colombian sound system rumberos bring the vibrant energy of Barranquilla Carnival to Jam Jar. With their patent mix of porro, electro-cumbia, hip-hop turntablism, ragga culture and anything else that gets sucked into their psychedelic vortex this is heavy revelry FFO: Bomba Estéreo, Sotomayor, Sidestepper.
Electropical madness from the joyful Afronauts of Colombia's technicolour Caribbean coast.
We can’t believe our eyes and ears: Johnny Clarke’s in Bristol! The vanguard voice of roots reggae heads a posse of local soundsystems in this admittedly massive ‘Back A Yard’ micro-edition of the St Pauls cultural blowout. Rally round the revelries, food, crafts, parades and community vibes - it’s all raising funds to secure the full return of the Carnival in 2025.
Expect the epic sounds of Carnival and a community atmosphere at this celebration day
Free entry! Bristol Cable and the angels at Acorn housing union chair an essential Q&A session with prospective MPs ahead of the pivotal July 4th General Election. With Green leader Carla Denyer (and more) fielding your questions on everything and anything - this is real democracy in action.
ACORN Bristol Central general election hustings - your chance to be heard
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.
“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
“Our event brings together over 30 talented artists from Bristol for a fun-filled weekend of creativity and entertainment. Alongside an exhibition of paintings, sculptures, graphic design, illustrations, and prints, we've got live music performances and carnival-style games to keep everyone entertained.”
From:
Backhand # 3
“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 + DJs
“A key figure in the UK dance music scene, Sarah Sweeney emerged from the vibrant nightlife of Liverpool and London in the late 90s and early 2000s. Starting in Southport, she honed her DJing skills with marathon sets in local bars before playing at iconic venues like Fabric, Chibuku Shake Shake, and the Big Chill Bar, sharing stages with legends like Larry Heard and Gilles Peterson. As a co-founder of the Eves’ Drop Collective, she helped pave the way for female DJs across the UK, lighting up festivals and clubs with her eclectic sets that blend house, disco, jazz, afro, and carnival beats, making her an unstoppable force in the industry.”
From:
Summer Sessions: Crowe + Sarah Sweeney + WDC