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Bristol Festivals

Festival fiend? Then Bristol is your natural home – there’s pretty much a festival for everything here. From ballooning to beer, this city’s got festival fever all year.

Bristol festivals are world famous. Take the Bristol balloon festival – an international fiesta of hot air balloons spanning four glorious days each summer. Head to Ashton Court Estate and watch mass ascents of balloons in all sorts of amazing shapes and sizes, morning and night. There’s also night glows set to music, fireworks and lots more family fun.

Then there’s Bristol Harbour Festival, the mother of all maritime festivals, which celebrates the city’s vibrant Harbourside. You can watch daredevil stunts, go on leisurely boat rides, nod your head along to local bands and eat and drink Bristol fashion from the many amazing market stalls.

But it doesn’t stop there! As the home of Banksy, we’re proud to host Upfest – Europe’s largest urban paint festival and a rare chance to see some of the best graffiti artists work their magic right in front of your eyes. No need to leave the kids at home either... It’s a great day out for the whole family, with lots of creative workshops and activities for the little ones.

Oh, and did we mention our many music festivals? From Love Saves the Day to Bristol Sounds and Bristol Americana Festival to Valley Fest – it’s a pretty pumping calendar if you like dancing in fields (or by the docks) with a cider in hand.

Of course there’s also cider festivals, craft beer festivals, food festivals, a chocolate festival, film festivals, a surf film festival, a Shakespeare festival… (take a breath) and Bristol festivals just for kids. There’s even a slapstick comedy festival and a festival dedicated entirely to local boy turned Hollywood A-lister - Cary Grant.

See what we mean? Bristol festivals are something to behold! So sunglasses and silly hats at the ready… Simply browse through the list below or search for the dates of your visit and find the perfect Bristol festival for you. Oh and if you want a memento of your adventures, remember to visit our Online Shop.

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Number of results:

Number of results: 26

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IBT21 The Rupture

Central Bristol

In Between Time invites you to grasp this moment as new possibilities for how we work and live come into view.

Dates

From:

28 Oct 2019to18 Dec 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Central Bristol

Step inside Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for your very own "Night at the Museum" to enjoy a truly special movie screening!

Dates

From:

25 Oct 2021to25 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Naked Gun at The Station

Central Bristol

Join Bristol Film Festival for an evening of side-splitting comedy and delicious local beer at this screening of The Naked Gun.

Dates

From:

27 Oct 2021to27 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Hocus Pocus at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Clifton

Head to Bristol Musem & Art Gallery this Halloween for a special screening of Hocus Pocus.

Dates

From:

28 Oct 2021to28 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Witch at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Clifton

This contemporary horror hit is not for the faint-hearted – and nor are the resident witches, who will be on the prowl pre-screening…!

Dates

From:

28 Oct 2021to28 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: What We Do In The Shadows in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

If you fancy something a little on the lighter side, then What We Do In The Shadows is the film for you – this hilarious Taika Waititi-helmed mockumentary explores the funnier side of vampires with bloody aplomb.

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to30 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: A Nightmare On Elm Street in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

The Halloween 2021 season continues with Wes Craven's sleep-ruining classic, A Nightmare On Elm Street!

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to30 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Frankenstein in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

It's back… venture deep into Redcliffe Caves – if you're brave enough.

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to30 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Suspiria in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Next up in the Halloween 2021 season is the seminal 1977 classic Suspiria.

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to31 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Lighthouse in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Rounding off Saturday night is Robert Eggers' surreal and mesmerising psychological horror The Lighthouse, which stunned cinemagoers early last year…

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to30 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Babadook in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Next up in the Halloween 2021 season is the modern horror hit The Babadook, which will leave you terrified of pop-up books for a very long time…

Dates

From:

30 Oct 2021to30 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Thing in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Continuing Sunday's programme is John Carpenter's ice-cold shapeshifting body horror The Thing…

Dates

From:

31 Oct 2021to31 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Descent in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Rounding off the Halloween screenings is the modern cult favourite The Descent – watching it in the Caves is a truly immersive, and terrifying, experience. You have been warned!

Dates

From:

31 Oct 2021to31 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Dracula in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

Sunday's Matinee Screening is one of the most famous horror films of all time, Dracula, featuring Bela Lugosi as the eponymous Count.

Dates

From:

31 Oct 2021to31 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Exorcist in Redcliffe Caves

Redcliffe

The penultimate film of the 2021 Horror In The Caves programme is The Exorcist, and Bristol Film Festival are excited to present the restored Director's Cut, adding 12 minutes of additional footage to this terrifying horror classic.

Dates

From:

31 Oct 2021to31 Oct 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Coraline at Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale

Next up is Selick's wonderfully creepy adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novella Coraline. It's beautifully animated and brilliantly scored, but it's a surprisingly spooky watch for children and grown-ups alike…!

Dates

From:

4 Nov 2021to4 Nov 2021
Bristol Film Festival: Crimson Peak at Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale

Finishing off Thursday's screenings is Del Toro's beautiful and spine-chilling gothic horror-romance Crimson Peak.

Dates

From:

4 Nov 2021to4 Nov 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Devil's Backbone at Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale

Next on Friday is Del Toro's chilling but poignant horror film The Devil's Backbone, which turns 20 this year.

Dates

From:

5 Nov 2021to5 Nov 2021
Bristol Film Festival: The Nightmare Before Christmas at Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale

To start Friday's screenings, watch the macabre musical masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Dates

From:

5 Nov 2021to5 Nov 2021
Afrika Eye Festival

Central Bristol

Afrika Eye Film Festival, held annually in Bristol, is the South West’s biggest celebration of African cinema and culture.

Dates

From:

8 Nov 2021to16 Nov 2021

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