5 ways to boost your bank holiday weekend in Bristol

Yet to make plans for the upcoming bank holiday? Allow us to help fill your three-day weekend.

Whether you’re already planning to be in Bristol or are looking for a last-minute reason to book a few days away, these ideas for things to do will give you plenty of inspiration.

• Discover great places to stay in and around Bristol

Have some animal encounters

Explore the wild side of life without even having to leave the city. Travel to Madagascar, ancient Britain and other habitats from around the world at conservation park Wild Place Project. Or meet the residents of Bristol Zoo Gardens, which range from tiny amphibians to giant tortoises, gorillas and lions.

Get acquainted with the marine life over at Bristol Aquarium, where you can catch their Summer Rays sessions. These are a programme of talks, activities and feedings with their expert aquarists, themed around topics like coral seas and the Amazon river.

Image - Wild Place Project

Fly through history at Aerospace Bristol

Bristol’s museum of all things aeronautical has interactive exhibits and activities to keep engineering enthusiasts of every age entertained over the bank holiday. Join a Spotlight Talk on Saturday morning for a deep dive into a topic related to aircraft, engines, guided weapons, space and local history.

Inquisitive kids can get stuck into Alfie and Amelia’s fact-finding adventure trail, while the littlest members of your clan will be enthralled by the Sunday Storytelling for Under 5s session.   

Image - Aerospace Bristol

Experience Iron Island at Brunel's SS Great Britain

Discover a brand new and unique immersive experience at Brunel’s SS Great Britain. With help from poet Saili Katebe and composer Joe Acheson, multimedia design studio Limbic Cinema will transform the Grade II listed dry dock by recreating the sights, sounds and movement of a living sea.

The multisensory storytelling experience will be split into three acts – ‘departure’, ‘storm’ and ‘icefield’ – combining projection, lighting and surround sound to transport you on a journey through underwater worlds.

• The story of the SS Great Britain’s passengers

Image - Brunel's SS Great Britain 

Get inquisitive at Project What If with We The Curious

Explore big ideas in new and surprising ways via Project What If at Harbourside science museum We The Curious. Themed around seven questions from real Bristol people on the topics of Time, Invisibility, Universe, Soul, Rainbows, Sand and Illness, it’s a must-visit if you’ve ever been curious about what it means to be human.

Image - We The Curious, credit Julian Welsh

Go street art spotting

While the street art and graffiti festival, which usually takes place over the bank holiday weekend, has been postponed, there are still 75 new Upfest murals to search out in Bedminster this summer.

You can also join one of the ‘Upfest stories and street art walks’ through experience curator Yuup, where you’ll hear about the festival’s history as well as Bristol’s street art story, admiring Upfest artwork along the way.

If you’d prefer a self-guided street art tour, check out Where The Wall’s ‘A Piece of Banksy’, an audio and visual exploration of Banksy narrated by local street art legend John Nation. Or download the Banksy Bristol Trail app, which maps out his remaining pieces around the city including some of the more obscure or partially faded works.

• Discover more self-guided experiences in Bristol

Image - 3D mural by Insane51, credit Plaster

For even more things to do in Bristol this bank holiday weekend...

Check out our guide to things to do in Bristol in August, featuring Museum of the Moon at Bristol Cathedral, and the A-to-Z round-up of summer holiday fun, including Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Bristol Hippodrome.

Or discover our eight ways to Escape the Everyday through activities like stand-up paddleboarding around the Harbourside.