The Island

The Island

Former police station turned creative playground


The Island is a vibrant multi-use venue in the heart of Bristol city centre. Once occupied by Bridewell Police Station, it’s been in the hands of community arts charity Artspace Lifespace since 2008.

Home to over 100 resident artists, The Island boasts a diverse mix of spaces and facilities including dance and circus training studios, a sewing room and an art gallery, while doubling up as a thriving events venue – covering live music, workshops and classes, immersive performance art, and more.

After dark the Edwardian cells come alive with experimental club nights, recent highlights including Timedance’s forward-thinking techno and bass nights, jungle, soul and Afrobeats from Nightspace, and late-night sessions from leftfield festival En Masse.

The 300-capacity venue is at basement level and is not wheelchair accessible. Free tickets are available for personal assistants. See https://artspace.uk/venue/the-island/ for details of the different event spaces within the building.

What's On At The Island

Introduction To Professional Wrestling 2 Hour Workshop at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes theatre sport & exercise
Here and Now at The Island
— The Island
exhibition
A World Not Ours at The Island
— The Island
festival film
Parallel - Photography Exhibition at The Island
— The Island
exhibition-opening exhibition
Absolute Beginners Sewing Course - The Cushion  at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes
Rainbow Magic at The Island
— The Island
exhibition lgbtq+
The Repair Workshops - Hems at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes
After the Annunciation at The Island
— The Island
theatre
Beginners Pattern Cutting Course at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes
Stitched Textiles Course   at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes
CMYK: A Celebration at The Island
— The Island
exhibition-opening exhibition
Guilt Removed at The Island
— The Island
exhibition-opening exhibition
The Repair Workshop - Seams at The Island
— The Island
workshops & classes

Get a feel for The Island

Our recent recommendations for The Island

Sell out warning! Now’s your chance kid, WWE are on the phone and you need to get in shape FAST with this 2 hour introduction to the crazy world of pro wrestling. Seasoned champs Chuck Mambo and Kyri are here to guide you through everything, from beginners' floorwork to holds and character development – BYO spandex! Introduction To Professional Wrestling 2 Hour Workshop at The Island.

No-phones queer techno powerhouses RTN unite two mighty forces of warehouse-grade hypnosis. Mike Parker’s hard-as-nails minimalism is as future-facing as the first time it slapped the club – out of body experiences will happen in the presence of his Buffalo GOATness, alongside the witchy heart at the centre of Brooklyn’s Merge, Clarisa Kimskii. Deeper than deep FFO: Sandwell, Dozzy, Plastikman. RTN w/ Mike Parker + Clarisa Kimskii at The Island.

Evening into late-night low-end pressure and maniacal club experimentalism, with inclusion and representation at the forefront. Powered by the hefty dual subs of Brussels’ Pssound and London’s BOSS soundsystems, Ojoo’s scuzzed industrial-dub is gonna be an absolute treat alongside i-sha’s dizzying brain-melters and k means’ frenetic brain rattlers. Raw dubwise magic at its finest! Music to Come and The Island present Pssound System with OJOO, Catherine Danger, Daya, Black Obsidian Sound System, i-sha and k means

PWYC! Another if-you-know-you-know soiree from Bristol’s essential local’s club night – do their lineups ever not deliver?! Get down early for Cowper’s lysergic downtempo brain-melters, queer community powerhouse Peoplelikeusdj, and stay til the lights come on for Anina’s occult DnB magic. Let's be honest, this is a night where the DJs have to bring their A-game – Grama’s truly doing God's work here! Grassroots clubnight supporting the abundance of local bristol talent

Mischievous AFX-grade IDM with minimal house texture teasing and sci-fi electro slam. Wisdom Tooth’s Welsh wonderkid Jorg Kuning crosses the lil pond with a table-and-a-bit’s-worth of hardware for a wiggy romp through percussive wonderlands. Lush alien bangers inside FFO: Isolée, Kompakt, Reptant, Legowelt, Call Super. JORG KUNING (LIVE) JOINED BY EKSISH + PHAT FINGERS