The Bristol Harbour Festival will return from Friday 18 – Sunday 20 July 2025, bringing a packed weekend of live music, culture and community celebrations to the city’s harbourside. One of the UK’s biggest free festivals, the event will showcase a diverse mix of homegrown and international talent, with folk sensations The Longest Johns set to headline the Made in Bristol showcase on Sunday night.
Fresh from touring North America and Europe, The Longest Johns - now the UK’s most-streamed folk band - will take to the Harbour View main stage for a homecoming performance that will close the festival in style. Known for reviving the sea shanty tradition and bringing maritime folk music to a global audience, their set promises to be a standout moment of the weekend.
On Saturday, the Global Local stage takeover will return, celebrating cultural diversity through music. The line-up will feature Eternal Taal, the pioneering all-female Bhangra group that has performed for the Royal Family and at Glastonbury. Also performing are Gnawa Blues All Stars, bringing North African trance music infused with jazz and reggae and DJ Hippo, whose eclectic mixes of tropical beats, hip-hop and jungle will keep the energy high. They will be joined by Bloco B, delivering the rhythms of Rio with high-energy samba, before The Allergies close the night with their signature funk-driven sound. The full band will headline Saturday complete with James Morton on Saxophone, Marietta Smith on vocals and Andy Cooper on MC duty!
Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “The Bristol Harbour Festival is a true celebration of the city - its creativity, diversity, and rich musical talent. It’s fantastic to see Bristol artists like The Longest Johns making a global impact and then bringing that success back home to share with festival audiences”
Organisers say they have been overwhelmed by the response from artists looking to perform. Noemi Antonelli and Alex Mahoney, Directors at Swans Events, said: “The number of music applications we received was incredible! Bristol is jam packed full of talent and we’re thrilled to highlight so many local artists through the Made in Bristol programme. With the support of our local steering group, this year’s Harbour Festival is shaping up to be one of the best yet.”
With hundreds of thousands of attendees expected, the Bristol Harbour Festival remains a key event in the city’s cultural calendar, celebrating its maritime heritage through live music, dance and performance. This year’s festival is being produced by Proud Events in partnership with Swans Events, with Bristol City Council, Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Redcliffe & Temple BID playing key roles in supporting the event.
For more information on the Bristol Harbour Festival, head to the website for all the latest line-up and performance information and Follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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