Bristol Events and Festivals

(Bristol, England, UK)

The residents of Bristol like to party and there are many exciting events that are held throughout the year. The popular events in Bristol include numerous lively street fairs, carnivals, parades, festivals and numerous sport games. Many of the celebrations and festivals in Bristol draw enormous crowds of both participants and spectators. Local city newspapers, such as The Venue, often have details of the latest festivals and events being held in the area.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• Good Friday / Easter Monday - late March or early April
• First and last Monday in May
• Last Monday in August
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

(If Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday becomes a public holiday).

Bristol Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Bath Pantomime - late December / early January - Bath's annual pantomime is held at the Theatre Royal in central Bath
• Classic Car Show - held at the Showground in Shepton Mallet, close by, featuring hundreds of classic cars and tradestands
• Bristol Storytelling Festival - late January / early February - taking place throughout National Storytelling Week, with all kinds of literary and storytelling fun including performances by professional storytellers

February

• Toy and Train Collectors' Fair - held at the Show Ground in Shepton Mallet, close by, this is one of the largest toy fairs in the south of England
• Rugby Matches - February to May, many important Bristol rugby matches are held at this time of the year, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, close to Bristol

March

• Bath Literature Festival - held at various venues across Bath during March
• Bath Half-Marathon - mid-March, this popular sporting event is held in central Bath and attracts thousands of participants and spectators
• Antique and Collectors' Fair - late March, held at the Showground in nearby Shepton Mallet, close by, this large antiques fair has hundreds of undercover stands
• Cheltenham Gold Cup Festival - mid-March, held at the Cheltenham Racecourse

April

• Easter Candlelit Concert - held at the Bath Assembly Rooms, this concert is very atmospheric
• Bristolive - mid-April, this international festival is for amateur ensembles
• Animated Encounters - late April, this is the Bristol International Animation Festival and is held at Bristol's Watershed Media Centre
• Badminton Horse Trials - late April / early May, this famous horse event is held at Badminton, close to Bristol

May

• North Somerset Show - early May, this popular agricultural show features livestock, horses, llama, trade stands and general entertainment and is held in the Wraxall area of Bristol
• Bath Spring Flower Show - held during the first weekend in May, this large flower show takes place at Bath's Royal Victoria Park and has a large flower tent, many exhibits and numerous traders
• Bath Hot-Air Balloon Festival - mid-May, held at the Royal Victoria Park in central Bath, this event includes night glows
• Docks Heritage Weekend - mid-May, celebrating Bristol's trains, cranes, cars, boats and ships
• Bath International Music Festival - May / June, held at various venues throughout Bath
• Bath Races - late May, popular horse races held at the Bath Racecourse at Lansdown, on the outskirts of Bath
• Free Family Fun Day in The Park - late May, held at the Royal Victoria Park, this is a popular event for all the family and features many activities, displays and music
• Bath Fringe Festival - late May to early June, this enormous Bath festival takes place of two weeks and includes many events and activities in Bath

June

• Bath and West Show - early June, this large show is held at the Showground in Shepton Mallet, close to Bristol, and attracts thousands of people every year
• International Westonbirt Festival of Gardens - June to early September, a number of modern gardens are displayed at Westonbirt Arboretum, in Tetbury, nearby Bristol
• Britain's Biggest Bike Ride - mid-June, this large event takes place on traffic-free roads at Bristol's Durdham Downs
• Bristol Motor and Classic Car Show - mid-June, this popular car show is held at Bristol's Durdham Downs and features many impressive sports cars and vintage cars
• Somerset Country Cricket Festival - held at Bath's Recreation Ground
• Festival of Nature - mid-June, this large, free event is held on Bristol Harbourside and features 3D wildlife film screenings, activities including seed planting, environmental organisation stands, family learning areas, an organic beer garden and much more

July

• Thornbury Carnival - held first Saturday of the month, a parade of floats and local groups with a funfair, stalls, activities and evening entertainment
• St. Paul's Carnival - early July, this spectacular carnival parade features music and great food and takes place in the St. Pauls area of Bristol
• Roman Baths by Torchlight - July to August, the famous Roman Baths stay open until around 22:00 and are lit by torchlight
• Bristol Cricket - a number of important cricket matches take place during July at the Bristol County Ground
• Bath International Guitar Festival - this popular Bath festival is held at various venues across central Bath
• Bristol Ashton Court Festival - mid-July, this large city festival showcases the best music, theatre and arts from the Bristol area and is held in Ashton Court Park
• Bristol Children's Festival - late July, held in the Bristol Downs area, this popular festival features fun activities for young children under 12 years old
• Berkeley Castle Joust - late July / early August, this medieval event takes place over two weekends at Berkeley Castle and is close to Bristol
• Bristol Harbour Festival - late July / early August, this is Bristol's most spectacular waterside event

August

• Bristol International Balloon Festival - mid-August, held at the Ashton Court Estate, the enormous balloon festival features more than 150 hot-air balloons, with launches at 06:00 and at 18:00
• Bath Races - mid-August, popular horse races held at the Bath Racecourse at Lansdown, on the outskirts of Bath
• Large Scale Wood Carving - late August, artists from across the UK gather at Westonbirt in Tetbury, close the Bath, to create magnificent sculptures from large pieces of wood and tree trunks
• Bristol Flower Show - late August, held on the Bristol Downs, this gardening event features flowers, designer gardens and entertainment

September

• Bristol International Kite Festival - early September, held at Ashton Court, this popular festival features colourful kites from all around the world
• National Amateur Gardening Show - early September, held at the Showground in Shepton Mallet, close to Bristol, this enormous gardening show is a major event in the west country
• Doors Open Day - mid-September, this special event gives visitors a chance to look inside many of Bristol's buildings that are normally closed to the general public
• Bristol Soil Associated and Organic Food Festival - mid-September, held at the Harbourside, this food festival includes an organic food market and celebrity chefs
• Jane Austen Festival - mid-September, a costumed parade, starting out at the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street, central Bath
• Bristol Half Marathon - mid-September, thousands of international runners compete in this popular Bristol sporting event, which takes place in Bristol's city centre

October

• Westonbirt Autumn Colours - early October, at Westonbirt Arboretum, in Tetbury, nearby Bristol, the spectacular autumn colours of the trees attract thousand of visitors
• Bristol Festival of Nature - this Bristol event includes films, animals encounters, talks and workshops about the natural world
• Bristol Wildscreen - mid-October, the city's biennial international festival of moving images from the natural world takes place at Bristol Harbourside
• Bristol Poetry Festival - this popular event is an international festival of poetry
• Bath Film Festival - late October, the film festival is held at a the Little Theatre cinema in central Bath and lasts around two weeks

November

• Bristol Fireworks Fiesta - early November, this spectacular fireworks festival is held on the Bristol Downs
• Bath Fireworks Display - early November, held at Bath's Recreational Ground to celebrate Guy Fawkes day
• Somerset Carnivals - held at various locations, Somerset's carnivals are the largest illuminated processions in the world
• Bath Heritage Week - early November, this week-long Bath event takes place at various museums, galleries and heritage organisations in Bath
• Bath Mozartfest - mid-November, with classical music played in some of Bath's most prestigious venues
• Bristol Christmas Lights Switch-On - this Christmas event offers day-long entertainment in Bristol's city centre with switch-on at 17:30
• Brief Encounters - this Bristol event is a short film festival

December

• Christmas Music - held at various venues across Bath, this includes musicians from the Bath Philharmonic and Christmas carol services with the choir at Bath Abbey
• Bath Christmas Market - early December, this popular continent-style Christmas market is held in the heart of Bath, near Bath Abbey
• New Year's Eve - December 31st, various celebrations take place throughout Bristol, seeing the arrival of the new year and culminating with firework displays