Looking for Bristol events, exhibitions and festivals to attend this year? We’ve got it covered with this regularly updated guide. Keep checking back for the latest details.
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Want to tell us about more Bristol events in 2024? Get in touch.
Bristol Old Vic
One of our favourite theatres has lots of exciting shows taking place in 2024. They include:
28 – 31 August: Anna Hibiscus’ Song
6 – 21 September: Wonder Boy (read our ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of Wonder Boy when it was performed at Bristol Old Vic in 2022)
17 – 21 September: How I Learned to Swim
5 December – 11 January: The Little Mermaid
See all the shows and events at Bristol Old Vic in 2024 here.
St George’s Bristol
The spectacular concert hall in a 200-year-old converted Georgian church has lots of brilliant events throughout the year. They include:
14 September: John Simpson OBE
21 September: Songs of Joni Mitchell
30 September: David Olusoga
9 October: The Drifters
13 October: Classical Up Close: Fitzhardinge Consort
3 November: The Four Seasons: From Vivaldi to Piazzolla
See all the events at St George’s Bristol in 2024 here.
Bristol Beacon
Bristol Beacon has reopened after a £132m five year transformation. Events taking place in 2024 include:
27 – 28 August: Hoo-Ha! Festival
3 September: Tim Peake: Astronauts – The Quest to Explore Space
22 September: Beverley Knight
18 October: Roddy Woomble
28 October: The Antlers + Okkervil River
5 November: Adam Ant: AntMusic 2024
8 November: Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra
18 July – 1 September: Space Shanty at M Shed
Space Shanty is a new interactive installation inspired by Bristol’s long-standing ties to the sea and stars, which you can see at the M Shed museum this summer.
Hosted by local experiences company Yuup, Space Shanty transforms one of Bristol’s most iconic harbourside venues into a maze of interactive installations, digital artworks, and historical artefacts.
We went to the opening of Space Shanty and you see what we got up to here.
Book tickets for Space Shanty here.
We The Curious
The wonderful We The Curious science museum in Bristol has been closed for over two years due to a fire, but it has finally reopened and it’s brilliant to see it back!
The fantastic two floors of interactive exhibits answer big questions posed by the public, and you can try your hand at animation in the much loved Aardman area.
There’s also new planetarium shows featuring Blurgle Wurgle the alien puppet, and a fabulous new Double Puc cafe.
The perfect day out for all the family this summer and beyond! See a video from our visit here.
Find out more and book tickets here.
24 – 26 August: BBC Proms at Bristol Beacon
The world-renowned BBC Proms will be staged at Bristol Beacon over the August bank holiday weekend. It will be the south west’s first ever host of full-scale orchestral concerts as part of the classical music extravaganza.
The following four concerts will take place:
- The Virtuous Circle (24 August): Paraorchestra recast the traditional orchestral concert as an immersive experience, performing Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 from memory and on the move. Audiences are invited into the heart of the action to observe the perfect symbiosis of an orchestra, exploring the idea of the orchestra as the perfect embodiment of teamwork. Interspersed with new music from Ivor Novello Award-winner Oliver Vibrans, this world premiere is co-directed by Charles Hazlewood and Kyla Goodey with choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves.
- BBC Singers at 100 (25 August) Celebrating 100 years since its formation, the BBC Singers performs a selection of a cappella masterpieces including Tavener’s Song for Athene and Britten’s A Shepherd’s Carol, led by Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin.
- Evelyn Glennie plays Jennifer Higdon (25 August): Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Kirill Karabits perform Tchaikovsky’s heart-on-sleeve Symphony No. 5, alongside Jennifer Higdon’s flamboyant Percussion Concerto with soloist Evelyn Glennie.
- CBeebies Prom: Ocean Adventure (26 August): Kwamé Ryan, the Southbank Sinfonia and Andy Day come together for a fun-filled CBeebies musical ocean adventure for all the family.
31 August – 1 September: Forwards Festival
Forwards is one of our favourite Bristol festivals and it returns to the Downs on 31 August and 1 September.
Headlines Underworld, Loyle Carner and LCD Soundsystem will be performing along with acts including Jessie Ware, Four Tet, Floating Points, Romy, Greentea Peng, Yussef Dayes and Yard Act.
In partnership with Channel 4, there’s the Information Stage with inspirational talks, debates and panel discussion, including Brian Eno in conversation with Mikaela Loach on race in the climate crisis and talks on gender roles with drag artist and TV personality Ginny Lemon, artist and writer Travis Alabanza, and drag queen Victoria Stone hosted by Bristol poet and drag artist Fluxx Wyldly.
There’s also a dedicated kids area, featuring immersive shows, workshops, ball pool, skate ramp, arts and crafts, music, and more.
Find more details and book tickets here.
Image credit: @giugliotto
