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

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.

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

“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

“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

“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