Festivals in Bristol

Festival fan? Then Bristol has you covered – 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 International Balloon Fiesta – an international festival of hot air balloons spanning three 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 – our 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.

Weston-super-Mare is also getting into the street art spirit with the return of the annual Weston Wallz festival, welcoming talented artists from across the world to transform the town into a colourful walk-through gallery, along with special street art tours and workshops.

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

Of course there’s also cider festivals, craft beer festivals, food festivals, film festivals, poetry festivals, walking festivals, a chocolate 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.