Hot summer events in Bristol

Destination Bristol invites guests to enjoy an action-packed summer in the city with a line-up of major events including Pride Bristol, Bristol Harbour Festival, Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and the 175th anniversary celebrations of Bristol Zoo Gardens, among others.

John Hallett, Managing Director at Destination Bristol said, “Bristol is very well known for its major summer events and raises the bar every year. This summer we have even more events and activities planned than ever before.”

Favourite and new Bristol major events this summer include:

- St. Pauls Carnival (2 July 2011)
This much-loved community carnival promises more music, dance and colourful costumes than ever before. The story of St. Pauls African and Caribbean Carnival is one of a community’s greatest success stories. The Carnival is a great day out for all generations and has become established as a major West Country attraction. It aims to promote cultural and community development in St. Pauls.

- Grillstock BBQ and Blues Festival (2 - 3 July 2011)
Grillstock is a BBQ themed two day food and drink festival taking place at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on the waterfront in Bristol over the weekend of 2nd - 3rd July. Grillstock 2011 is not only doubling the number of BBQ competition teams, it’s also introducing a covered stage to welcome some fantastic blues bands throughout the weekend with headline acts playing on the Saturday night. Two bars will operate, one incorporating the Grillstock canteen and the other showcasing the Grillstock Beer Festival.
 
- Pride Bristol (9 – 17 July 2011)
Pride Bristol celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, and is aimed at families and friends of the LGBT community and for everyone who values diversity. Organised by the LGBT community, Pride Week runs from 9 -17 July and offers an array of diverse cultural events. After a hugely successful 2010 event, the award-winning Pride Day returns on the 16 July with a stunning line-up across 5 stages. International superstar Kelis will be headlining main stage along with ‘sound of 2011’ Clare Maguire, Bright Light Bright Light, Dr Meaker and many more.

- Bristol Harbour Festival (29 – 31 July 2011)
The Harbour Festival is Bristol’s largest, liveliest and most diverse free event, and one of the biggest events of its kind in the country. 2011 is the 40th anniversary of the festival. To mark this milestone, the event will include an additional week from Saturday 23 - Friday 29 July, during which the harbour will be animated with dragon boat races, strolling entertainment, music on boats and more. The weekend is jam-packed with music, dance, circus, ships and boats, markets and children’s entertainment.

- Beryl Cook: Larger than Life (18 June - 29 August 2011)
Larger Than Life is a major exhibition of original paintings by Britain's most popular painter, Beryl Cook. The artist, who died in 2008, lived in Bristol for several years and was best known for her humorous paintings of ordinary people 'having a good time'. The exhibition of over 60 original paintings will include many from the Cook family's own collection, which have never been seen before in public.

- Treasure Island at Bristol Old Vic (7 July – 26 August 2011)
This summer, Bristol Old Vic is taking to the cobbles of King Street to present the world's greatest pirate adventure, Treasure Island. Following the theatre’s smash hit Swallows and Amazons, audiences are invited to join Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins as they set sail on the high seas in search of Captain Flint's buried treasure. Will they be handed the black spot or will they find the golden loot?

- Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (12 – 14 August 2011)
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a world-class hot air ballooning festival and recognised as one of the UK’s top five outdoor events. Founded in 1978, it has become an icon for Bristol. Held in the rolling hills of Ashton Court on the edge of the city, it is a hugely popular free event attracting around half a million people from across the country and beyond. The event takes place over four days and this year, for the first time, visitors will get to see how a hot air balloon is made.

- Bristol International Festival of Kites & Air Creations (3 - 4 September 2011)
The 25th Bristol International Festival of Kites & Air Creations will take place in Ashton Court Estate, Bristol. Organisers are planning an action-packed aerial extravaganza to celebrate the Festival’s 25th anniversary with international kite guests winging their way from as far as New Zealand, Kuwait and Thailand to join flyers and enthusiasts from across Europe. The arena programmes will feature spectacular flying displays, kite fighting battles, breathtaking synchronised routines flown to music and awesome power kites as well as colourful ground-based inflatables and air sculptures of all shapes and sizes.

- Organic Food Festival (3 – 4 September 2011)
The Organic Food Festival 2011 will take place on 3 - 4th September 2011 in Bristol on the Harbourside and is Europe’s largest organic showcase event, and one of the UK’s leading food festivals. Celebrating its 11th Anniversary this year, the Festival demonstrates the growth of the organic movement and the increased recognition of the role organic production can play in creating a sustainable future.

On-going this summer

- Arnolfini 50th Anniversary
Arnolfini gallery, café and bar is one of Europe’s leading centres for the contemporary arts, all housed in a converted warehouse that's idyllically situated in the heart of Bristol’s Harbourside area. This year Arnolfini celebrates 50 years of presenting the very best in contemporary art in all its forms; visual, performance, music, cinema, sound and literature. Highlights include the Neil Cummings exhibition, the Apparatus exhibition and the Gillian Ayres exhibition.

- Bristol Zoo Gardens 175th anniversary
Throughout 2011, Bristol will celebrate the 175th anniversary of Bristol Zoo Gardens with a host of events taking place throughout the year to mark its milestone. Throughout the summer, the zoo will be releasing dozens of life-size, gorilla sculptures onto the streets of Bristol. The main event to celebrate the 175th anniversary will be the Zoo’s Big Village Fete on Saturday 16th July for all family members to enjoy.

- All About Us Exhibition
Hands-on science centre, At-Bristol, welcomed a new £1.5 million exhibition this spring called ‘All About Us’. This permanent exhibition is a celebration of all things human, designed for the learning and enjoyment of all age groups. The exhibition features 50 new hands-on science exhibits, including real body parts, allowing visitors to test human phenomena and investigate how brains and bodies work together.

- Bristol Hippodrome summer theatre shows
The Bristol Hippodrome is one of the country's top, family-friendly provincial theatres, which proudly continues to stage major West End and Broadway productions. Highlights this summer include ‘Evita’ (27 Jun - 2 Jul), ‘Legally Blonde the Musical’ (19 Jul – 6 Aug), ‘Shaun the Sheep’ (17 – 20 Aug), ‘Dirty Dancing’ (1 Sep – 8 Oct) and ‘We will rock you’ (11 – 29 Oct).

For a complete list of Bristol events and activities, log on to: VisitBristol.co.uk