As the mercury increases, so does the number of events in the city. Bristol is a city filled with festivals, carnivals and other fun things to keep everyone busy. We've pulled together some of our favourites.
Markets and Food from Exciting Vendors
St Nicks Night Market: First Friday of the Month 2nd June, 7th July and 4th August
St Nicks returns with its fantastic summer night market on the first Friday of every summer month. With traders from The Covered Market and Exchange Hall extending their hours to 10pm and even more spilling out onto Corn Street, it promises to be unmissable. Late night shopping, a vast array of food, funky music and dancing draws cheerful crowds every year and this year’s looking set to be even better. Enjoy some unique nightlife right in the heart of Bristol. For more information click here.
Bristol Craft Beer Festival at Lloyds Amphitheatre: 9th – 10th June
Celebrating Bristol’s love for craft beer, the Bristol Craft Beer festival will be host to an abundance of exquisite beers from local and not-so-local breweries. The hugely popular festival returns to Lloyds Amphitheatre this June offering exciting DJs, delicious food trucks and plenty of beer, cider and spirits from more than 40 breweries. For tickets and more information visit the Bristol Craft Beer Festival website.
Family Friendly Activities for All Ages
Stories from the Soul at We the Curious: 15th – 29th June
After the success of Stories of the Stars event last winter, We the Curious are delighting us again with a new show about the questions we have surrounding the body and soul. The event takes place at John Wesley’s New Room in the centre of the Bristol’s shopping quarter, with a runtime of 50 minutes and it’s completely free. For more information, click here.
Springfest at Wild Place: 27th May – 4th June
The collaboration we never knew we needed, Upfest and Wild Place will be hosting the art and animal event of the season. With plenty of lawn games and crafts for all ages to enjoy and 8 giant murals from some of the South West’s most accomplished street artists, celebrating the conservation programmes run by the Wild Place Project. You’ll also have the chance to see magnificent wildlife and look ahead to the new species joining in the coming years. Book advance tickets through their website and enjoy 10% off, click here.
Parades and Festivals with Music, Food and Dancing
St Pauls Carnival Fringe Events
2023 sees the return of Bristol’s famous St Pauls carnival and in the run up the city will be full of fringe events to prepare everyone for the big day. Celebrating the community and history of Caribbean culture, the city is host to multiple events across Bristol. Immerse yourself in stories of Caribbean legends with events such Legends of Windrush: Human Library and Inna Wi Carnival Cinema. For more information and events visit their website, here.
Forest Live at Westonbirt Arboretum: 8th – 10th June
Taking advantage of the stunning forest locations around the UK, Forest Live is heading to the South West for a three-night spectacular, including music legend Paul Weller, the unmissable British talent of Jack Savoretti and Tom Grennan as well as Saturdays special guest Natalie Imbruglia. Not only will you be entertained at some of the most unique musical events of the year, you’ll be helping look after the nation’s forestry with profits from ticket sales. Head to their website for more information and tickets, click here.
Project Zulu: 9th June
Set-up in 2012 by the University of the West of England (UWE), Project Zulu has been their partnership with schools in South Africa, exchanging resources and educational development projects. Every other year Project Zulu tours a choir of talented children from these schools performing traditional Zulu songs and dances. Their finale concert at Clifton College Chapel will be an inspirational night of exceptional talent. For tickets and more info click here.
Bristol Pride: 24th June – 9th July
Getting bigger and better every year, Bristol Pride is back this summer to take over the city, showcasing the beautiful diversity of Bristol. With comedy and theatre performances, talks, workshops, nightlife, sports and musical performances from Scissor Sisters’ energetic frontman Jake Shears and Australian icon Natalie Imbruglia. Pride Day itself sees a two-mile march through the city centre and the big musical event on The Downs with plenty of shuttle buses running between them for ease. To celebrate love and pride, click here for more information.
Bristol Sounds: 21st – 27th June
Bristol is once again gearing up for one of its biggest nights in music with Bristol Sounds. A magnificent open air event that’s previously seen the likes of Tom Misch, Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds and Jungle, will be filling up Lloyds Amphitheatre with elated crowds and a killer roster of big acts. This year’s line-up kicks off with renowned musician Mika, through the week there’ll be Grammy-Award winning multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, nineties Mancunian rock success James, iconic alt-rock band Levellers and finally the powerful vocals of Self Esteem. Performing in the heart of Bristol against the stunning backdrop of the harbourside, Bristol Sounds is set to be another amazing year. For tickets, click here.
Performances from Emerging and Established Talent
Weekends of Wonder! In Broadmead: Weekends in May and June 2023
Bristol’s Broadmead will come to life with an outdoor street performance festival spanning four weekends this May and June. Weekends of Wonder! is a street theatre festival with WOW! factor, bringing local and international artists together to light up the town with bedazzling acts to amaze audiences of all ages. WOW! will bring together veteran street performers alongside cutting edge new talent to create a truly magical atmosphere on our city’s central high street. To find out more, click here.
Disney's The Lion King at Bristol Hippodrome: until Saturday 1st July
The beloved Disney show makes a triumphant return, having already played two sell out seasons at the Bristol Hippodrome. The cast of over 50 actors, singers and dancers are thrilled to return to the Hippodrome stage for this strictly limited run which is set to excite new and returning audiences alike. The story of The Lion King roars into life using spectacular masks, puppets, and costumes to tell the story of Simba's epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming King. To find out more about this show and purchase tickets, click here.
Party: In Paris at the Watershed: 23rd June
Party: In Paris sees the launch of a two show special hosted by the Scrapqueens. The night promises 90 minutes of excellent comedy and post-show karaoke in the historical Watershed. Book tickets with a 5% discount for both shows, here.
Anna Karenina at Bristol Old Vic: 7th – 24th June
Four years in the making, Lesley Hart’s adaptation of Tolstoy’s masterpiece, Anna Karenina, is making its way down to the South West’s own Bristol Old Vic from The Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh. Anna Karenina is a tale of two lovers forced to choose between self and society, and this adaptation brings the language up to date with an exciting pace of story and stunning performances. For more information and tickets, click here.
Do Not Adjust Your Stage at Bristol Improv Theatre: 17th June
In The Wunderkammer, all new TED-style talks from expert guest speakers inspire totally improvised comedy from one of the UK’s leading groups, Do Not Adjust Your Stage (DNAYS). Neither the audience nor performers have seen the talks before, making for a unique evening of discovery and laughter through entirely spontaneous scenes, sketches and characters. Since 2014, DNAYS have performed The Wunderkammer at sell-out shows in the UK, Europe and the US, including New York’s iconic UCB Theatre and in residencies at London’s Natural History Museum and National Gallery. Previous guest speakers include a professional extreme snowboarder, a Greenpeace activist, the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep and a piracy expert. For tickets, click here.
Exhibitions to Inform and Dazzle you
The Cave Art of Lascaux at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery: 1st April – 10th September 2023
Step back in time 21,000 years and visit the incredible Stone Age cave art of Lascaux in immersive 3D. This world heritage site in the Dordogne, France, was discovered in 1940 by two teenagers. It features etched and painted images large and small, of many animals as well as mysterious symbols and elements. The site itself has been closed to the public since 1963, but there is a full size replica of the cave complex in France. Now, using the latest technology, you can ‘visit’ the caves on your own doorstep. Find out more about this exhibition and buy tickets here.
Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year at The Royal Photographic Society: 20th May – 11th June 2023
This summer, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year, the world’s leading awards for food photography and film, is premiering its twelfth exhibition at The Royal Photographic Society, one of the oldest photographic societies in the world. With over 170 images from more than 25 categories, ranging from the Politics of Food to Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture, the exhibition captures the great sweep of stories and cultures in the world of food. To find out more about the exhibition, click here.
Mycelium Book by Rodrigo Arteaga at Arnolfini: 13th May- 18th June
Following his Summer 2022 sculpture Fallen Tree for Arnolfini’s Forest: Wake this Ground exhibition, Chilean artist Rodrigo Arteaga has collaborated with researchers at the Centre for Print Research at UWE Bristol. His residency with the researchers resulted in Mycelium Book which aimed “to use mycelium to produce non-human drawings, photographic images and sculptures”. As always entry is free and booking is optional. For more information click here.
Sensing Nature Guided Walks at Westonbirt Arboretum: 14th April – 22nd September 2023
Let Westonbirt's visually impaired guides lead you through an immersive and interactive sensory experience that aims to shift your perception, enjoy the arboretum at a slower pace and explore the trees of Westonbirt through your nonvisual senses. These walks take place every second and fourth Friday of the month from Apr - Sep - 10.30am, for more information and to book your spot, click here.
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