TWO DAYS TO GO: Countdown to Bristol Harbour Festival

Bristol Harbour Festival build up begins ahead of six performance areas taking over the city centre from Friday 19th - Sunday 21st July.

Bristol has officially sailed into summer season as the Bristol Harbour Festival returns this weekend with a stellar line-up of live music, theatre, circus, spoken word, dance and spectacular water displays. 

Harbour View will see the festival’s main stage return to the Amphitheatre, presenting some of the best talent from the South West and beyond headed up by Eva Lazarus, Grove and Emily Magpie.

Queen Square will showcase Bristol’s diverse communities, with emerging artists performing to crowds at the Bristol Rising Stage including ‘Next Level’ breakout performances from Sambee and Laura Dia, and the incredible RSVP Drummers who will once again take over the Dance Tent with high energy Bhangra dancing.

The new Expression stage at Millenium Square will host talks, debates and panel discussions from industry leaders when it comes to all things music and maritime including Thekla’s Club Events Manager, Lavinia Calamai, as well as carefully curated jazz, blues and spoken word. 

College Green will once again be the place to be for the young and young at heart with the Family Playground’s mind-blowing and jaw-dropping programme of performances with a special Cirque Bijou Presents area. The most anticipated sporting event of the year - Baby Racing - is back, along with The Black Eagles extraordinary spectacle of acrobatics and a shimmering high tea with a twist from Levantes Dance Theatre. 

Bristol’s iconic music venue Thekla, which has celebrated 40 years on the harbour earlier this year, will kick off its Bristol Harbour Festival stint with a classic silent disco and a packed line up throughout the weekend from music legends The Keepsakes, Gurl, Piratitude and the one and only, Jayde Adams playing on board the cargo ship. 

Maritime fans can prepare to be wowed by a thrilling on the water display with some absolute fan favourites (hello cardboard boat race) and brand new additions including Dragon Boat Racing to wow crowds, alongside James Prestwood’s must-see flyboarding, and Bristol’s oldest fireboat, which is currently fundraising for its conservation, Pyronaut. 

Bringing even more arts, culture, music and a boatload of fun for all ages, this year’s event will introduce a limited number of VIP tickets, which will give ticket holders exclusive access to the Amphitheatre’s viewing platform. VIP tickets will also give purchasers access to an exclusive bar, drinks tokens upon arrival, separate loos, and unbeatable views of the stellar Harbour View and On The Water programme. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol-harbour-festival-vip-experience-tickets-912623019017?aff=ebdssbdestsearch 

Extending the festival’s footprint, this year will see the introduction of a Fringe Festival, with mini-events popping up across city centre venues. 6 O'clock Gin at The Glassboat is providing gin sampling sessions across the weekend. Filmmaking platform Tabb will be showcasing Blue Moon, a series of short films made by local talent at Bristol Aquarium. The Christmas Steps Pub and Death Disco will open their doors to host day parties at their respective venues all day Saturday. Coffee Club is getting involved, bringing an acoustic stage to the coffee shop in the morning with easy listening and acoustic guitars, before converting it to a DJ booth and bar for afternoon sets. 

Bristol Harbour Festival will welcome some of Bristol and beyond’s best food traders. In collaboration with the Bristol Eat Better Awards (BEBA), the festival is committed to offering healthy and sustainable options. The foodie-line-up includes BEBA Gold vendors Awakened Table and El Cabron Taco, along with BEBA Silver awarded Hidden Pizza, Banana Skin, The Original Pastie House, iFeed, Brisket Brothers and Madellah Bakes. 

One of the UK’s biggest and most diverse free-to-attend festivals, this year’s edition has been supported by the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Redcliffe & Temple BID, as well as Brothers Cider, St. Austell Brewery, Bonne Maman, McArthur’s Yard, Great Western Railway and The Wave.

Committed to maintaining the highest standards and Gold Level accreditation for the Bristol Harbour Festival, the 2024 team has partnered with Attitude is Everything to ensure that the weekend is accessible to all. There is a dedicated viewing area at the Bristol Amphitheatre with wheelchair access, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters at College Green and Millenium Square. There will also be quiet spaces located across the festival site, including Bristol Cathedral on College Green and an information access point at Millenium Square to assist visitors. This partnership with Attitude is Everything has also provided a whole range of volunteer opportunities across the events sector for those who identify as disabled, to give them hands-on experience volunteering at a live event. Further access information can be found on the festival website. 

Striving to be as sustainable as possible, the festival team works tirelessly to ensure the streets of Bristol are looked after during the event. Looking to minimise both the waste and carbon footprint of the festival, all waste across the weekend will be recycled or go towards renewable energy, with recycling bins placed across the entire site. 

Visitors and traders are also encouraged not to bring any single-use plastics. Water fountains will be in operation throughout, allowing festival-goers to bring their own reusable bottles to refill and keep hydrated as they party throughout the weekend. For anyone travelling from further afield by train, Bristol Temple Meads is a short walk from the festival and local bus routes regularly run through the city centre. The fastest routes and key information such as water fountains, road closures and more can be found on the Visiting section of the festival’s website.

To see the whole programme of this year’s Bristol Harbour Festival, visit the website and to keep up to date with the latest news, follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and X. 

To support this year’s festival, fans can make a donation - and all funds will go directly into the artist programming for 2025. Those who simply can’t wait for their Harbour Festival dose can also access the official Bristol Harbour Festival playlist on Spotify.