Bristol Harbour Festival: Final stage line-ups announced

With just over a week to go until the 50th anniversary of the Bristol Harbour Festival, the city’s flagship event has announced the final line-ups for The Grove Stage, including Thekla at The Grove as well as The Discovery Stage at The Grove with Access Creative College. Not forgetting the shining star of the festival, the harbour itself, the On The Water programme has also been released.

Taking place between 15 – 17 July, nine performance areas will feature familiar favourites and new attractions, filling one and a half miles of the city with music, vessels, food markets, circus acts, live music and performers. Ebb & Flow, an inclusive programme showcasing community collaborations and emerging and established creative voices will also feature throughout the festival.

On The Water

For the 50th anniversary, attendees can expect seven tall ships to be moored alongside a weekend of marvellous maritime entertainment. Over 250 different vessels of every imaginable shape, size and design, will bring their own nautical flair.

Tall Ships set to dock at this year’s festival include Grayhound, built in Cornwall in 2012, which encourages families and young professionals to sail on-board with its expert team - providing a low carbon alternative to traditional cargo transport. Built in 1930, the TS Anny of Charlestown, will also be docked at the harbour. First used in the fishery in the Baltic and North Seas until 1972, since 2019 it has been operating out of Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall. The other visiting majestic tall ships include Olga, Iris, Klevia, Vilma and the Pelican of London – which will be taking a crew of young people from Bristol back to Ireland on board as part of a sailing experience programme in collaboration with charity, Seas Your Future.

The iconic Cardboard Boat Race and Young Shipwrights Boat Race return to set sail on Saturday nearby to Prince Street Bridge in support of the My Future My Choice Learning Ships project. The race will see local teams including primary school children, who have created vessels out of cardboard, race their boats over a 250m course. Special prizes will be handed out for the most innovative and least seaworthy vessels. Guests wanting to get involved with the My Future My Choice projects should board the MV Balmoral, moored at Mardyke Quay on Hotwells Road, to try their hand at creating their own mini land yacht.

2022 is also the 75^th anniversary of the twinning between Bristol and Hannover in Germany, signed after WW2 in the spirit of reconciliation, friendship and the desire to build a stronger Europe. As such, this year’s festival will welcome the Mayor of Hannover, Thomas Hermann, alongside a barrel of Hannover gin aboard a traditional open wooden sailing boat from Hannover.

Elsewhere on the water, guests can head on over to watch daredevil stunts from national freestyle champion and world professional freestyle Jet Skier, Jack Moule, and take in the colourful boats dressed for the occasion and vying for the position of best dressed boat. Attendees can also catch James Prestwood’s professional flyboarding throughout Saturday as well as see steam boats organised by Chew Valley locals Kevin and Gillie Slater on behalf of the Steam Boat Association of Great Britain.

Feature vessels to look out for at this year’s festival include the Pyronaut fire boat and John King tug boat at M Shed, and MV Balmoral (1949), which is one of the last surviving ships of its type.

Thekla at The Grove

A hugely popular stop on the Harbour Festival route is The Grove Stage, programmed by the team at Thekla. Guests 18+ can also climb aboard Thekla itself for a full evening of music in Cargo Hold. Getting the party well and truly started on Saturday is Pocket Sun, with their wavy synth-pop roots, hypnotic grooves and intimate vocals. Throughout the day, festival goers will see a mixture of Bristol based hip hop, rap and RnB. Boci, Digsby, Lou Raymond, PEM, Drag, Drunk Man Sober, Irish Mellow, and headliner Gloucester-born Blossom Caldarone lead the charge on this leafy outdoor stage. A cellist, pianist and singer, Blossom’s song writing incorporates her perceptive and thoughtful take on life.

On Saturday from 2-8pm, attendees will also find a special Pop Confessional Vs Pressure silent disco on the historic Top Deck of Thekla. Dolly Doo, Xyzelle, Solo Jane, Dem II, Badliana, Tlya X An, Mercy’s Cartel and London musician Master Peace and his expert blending of indie and rap will also take to the nautical stage throughout Saturday.

Sunday’s line-up is equally as jam-packed, with singer-songwriter, Michaela Fedeczko heading up the final day with her Motown and soul-inspired harmonies, before performances from Demonz XO, Nat Oaks, Pete Yelding, King Heron, Freddie Lewis, Conal Kelly, Keir, Pompador, Minor Conflict, Avygayle, Enter Red, Hypothetics, Miss Kill and Cosmic Ninja. DAMEFRISØR – who after forming at a Bristol club night in 2019 take their references from early alternative, dance, post-rock and more – will close out the Cargo Hold at this year’s Bristol Harbour Festival. 

The Discovery Stage at The Grove

Access Creative College return to The Grove with the Discovery Stage. Both days will be filled with vocal artists, music performers and producers currently studying at the college alongside performances from students. Both days will see current students showcase original music they have written and covers they have learnt during the duration of their course. Look out for Sadie Gledson kicking off a Saturday filled with rap from Xavier and Amelia, liquid DnB from DJ Fitz and all that’s in-between. Sophie Ryan will start proceedings on Sunday and ACC Soundsystem’s Sunshine Beats will headline the final day on The Discovery Stage at this year’s festival.

Around the festival

Elsewhere, guests can look out for Clowns Without Borders on Sunday at 11.30am at the Circus Playground in Queens Square – an award-winning charity sharing laughter and play with refugee children in crisis zones around the world at a time when they need it most.

The Disco Litter Queens will be around on Saturday to pick up litter to a funky disco beat! Also on Saturday, Beth Claverley’s Poetry Machine will invite guests to have a custom poem written for them on the spot at Cathedral Walk. Just follow the sound of Beth’s vintage typewriter and look out for the machine's bright yellow umbrella, flagpole and bubble engine!

The Bristol Harbour Festival is produced by Bristol City Council, with support from Arts Council England.

For more information see www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk, or visit @Bristolharbfest on Twitter, @BristolHarbourFest on Instagram and www.facebook.com/bristolharbourfestival