Bristol’s festival highlights of 2022

Summer may not be upon us just yet, but Bristol is already well primed for a jam-packed festival season.

From music to food and drink, books to philosophy, and comedy to avant-garde theatre and dance, Bristol24/7 rounds up the huge array of festivals set to entertain us in and around the south west over the next five months.

Bath Comedy Festival, multiple venues, Bath, March 27-April 21

As the clocks change and the sun comes out again, Bath will be treated to performances from some of the biggest names in the comedy world alongside the stars of tomorrow, as the welcome return of Bath Comedy Festival has the city roaring with laughter over 26 days. Venues range from 30 seater popups right through to the prestigious 1,600 capacity Bath Forum.

Helen Lederer – photo: Bath Comedy Festival

Hopyard Craft Beer Festival, Propyard, Bristol, April 14-15

A new-for-2022 craft beer event and taking place just ahead of Easter weekend. Revellers can get ready to satisfy their pint-sized cravings with two days of top-notch sizzling street food, music from some of Bristol’s best DJs as well as the gold standard in beers – from a mouth-watering line-up of 12 local breweries.

Propyard – photo: Khris Cowley for Here & Now

Rattlerfest, Healey’s Cyder Farm, Cornwall, April 22-24

Cornwall’s newest triple all-dayer returns bigger and more explosive for its second year. Rattlerfest promises three days of glorious live music, celebrity DJs and plenty of Healey’s Cyder. The adults only long weekender features new activities and entertainment with headliners including The Feeling, Utah Saints, Dub Pistols and Radio 1’s Scott Mills.

Cheltenham Jazz Festival, multiple Cheltenham venues – April 27-May 2

This year, the much-anticipated lineup for the prestigious Cheltenham Jazz Festival includes Emili Sandé, Nitin Sawhney, Corinne Bailey Rae, Zoe Rahman Quintet, James Bay, Tom Odell, Penguin Café, PP Arnold, the Electric Lady Big Band, and many more.

Bristol Folk Festival, multiple Bristol venues – April 29-May 1

Bristol Folk Festival returns with a stellar line-up of UK and world artists taking to stages across the city for three days over May Day weekend. Kate Rusby, Jon Boden and Kitty Macfarlane headline. Clifton Cathedral, St George’s Bristol, Bristol Folk House and The Architect are the main venues as the festival expands for 2022.

Jon Boden & The Remnant Strings, Bristol Folk Festival: -photo: Chris Saunders

Bristol New Music Festival, St George’s, Arnolfini, Strange Brew, Spike Island and St Mary Redcliffe – May 5-8

The fourth edition of BNM promises an adventurous, sonic exploration of the city. For four days Bristol will be buzzing with contemporary music and sound – from overseas and homegrown – with commissioned works, sonic responses to rarely used spaces, landmark concert hall performances, and club nights. Highlights include Angel Bat Dawid, Bendik Giske, Ellen Arkbro, Sarah Davachi, Coby Sey & the London Contemporary Orchestra, Uproar and Hezarfen Ensemble.

Angel Bat Dawid – photo: courtesy of BNM Festival

The Bath Festival, multiple Bath city centre venues – May 13-21

The Bath Festival features an eclectic programme celebrating music and books across numerous venues in the city. Confirmed speakers include Marian Keyes and Lucy Mangan, PJ Harvey, Harriet Evans and Janice Hallet. There will also be comedy, and walking tours of Bath on screen, Bath Blitz and The Great Spa Town.

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Mayfest, multiple Bristol city centre venues – May 13-29

This year’s “trailblazing festival of international contemporary theatre” makes a welcome return for this May, with a characteristically diverse programme. Among the many highlights, Brook Tate appears in Birthmarked at Bristol Old Vic; Raquel Meseguer Zafe presents an audio journey in A Crash Course in Cloudspotting; and Doris Uhlich’s HABITAT will offer up “a hymn to the naked body” featuring 70 voluntary participants in a performance at The Galleries.

Doris Uhlich, HABITAT – photo: Theresa Rauter

Bristol Comedy Festival, multiple venues around Old Market, Bristol – May 15

A full day of fringe previews from some of the country’s top comedians, rising stars, and local Bristol legends. With over 36 hours worth of comedy across six venues in Old Market including The Ill Repute, The Exchange, The Stag and Hounds Pub and To the Moon, there’s something for everyone!

Bristol Foodies Festival, The Downs, Bristol – May 20-22

A weekend that celebrates top chefs and great food and drink, soundtracked by pop headliners Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lee & Simon from Blue, Five, Liberty X and Rozalla. There will be workshops, competitons, demonstrations and talks with culinary experts, and a wealth of wonderful street food from around the world.

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Shindig Festival, Dillington Estate, Somerset – May 26-29

Signalling the start of the summer, Shindig Festival takes place this year in a new, beautiful location in the heart of Somerset. De La Soul, Roy Ayres, Terry Hall, Goldie and Blue Lab Beats are on the bill. Bringing a healthy dose of foot-stomping funk and a packed programme of entertainment for all ages, Shindig Festival offers relaxation and revelry in equal measures. Voted ‘Best For Family Rave’, it has been blazing a trail since 2014 and attracting an ever-more diverse crowd.

Highwire performer at Shindig Festival – photo: Sarah Koury

Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye – May 26-June 6

The literati will once more descend on Hay for what Bill Clinton dubbed “the Woodstock of the mind”, an 11-day celebration of stories and ideas, music and comedy on the beautiful English/Welsh border. Joining the programme for its 35th year is a diverse collection of authors, speakers, performers and celebrities, including Bernadine Evaristo, Deborah Levy, Julian Barnes, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Joe Wicks, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Sea Change Festival, Totnes, Devon – May 27-29

Atmospheric buildings across Totnes town will become venues for an event spanning music, art, film and literature, put together by people who spend all day listening to records. Sea Change promises three days of truly unique events. The lineup includes Tim Burgess, Porridge Radio, Hailu Mergia, Chilly Gonzales, Gwenno, Kathryn Joseph, Fulu Miziki, Katy J Pearson, caroline, Andrew Wasylyk, Soccer96, Quinquis, The Lounge Society, Sinead O’Brien, MELTS, Lucy Gooch, Tara Clerkin Trio, Silverbacks, Charlotte Spiral, Pale Blue Eyes, Michael Price, HighSchool, Fran Lobo and DITZ. The cinema lineup includes a Flowered Up ‘Weekender’ celebration and a Mark Jenkin event.

Barrel House ballroom during Sea Change – photo: Sea Change presents

Wells Comedy Festival, multiple venues around Wells – May 27-29

Stand up fans can rely on Wells Comedy Festival to deliver a weekend of jam-packed laughs. This years’s lineup includes Harry Hill, Al Murray The Pub Landlord, Reginald D Hunter, Shaparak Khorsandi, Phil Wang, Lou Sanders, Mark Thomas, Isy Suttie, Jamali Maddix, Mark Watson, Mike Wozniak, Nick Helm, Spencer Jones, Sophie Duker, Dane Baptiste, Rhys James, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Paul Foot and many more.

Dot to Dot, multiple Bristol city centre venues – May 28

Dot To Dot is an award winning, multi-venue, metropolitan festival that takes place in Bristol and Nottingham on consecutive days of the same weekend. D2D has a rich tradition of championing emerging talent. The Bristol date takes place on May 28, at O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol Beacon, Thekla, The Louisiana, The Fleece, Rough Trade, The Lanes, Dockside, Mr Wolfs, Lost Horizon, Fiddlers and The Crown.

D2D lineup 2022 – image: Dot to Dot

Upfest, Greville Smyth Park, Tobacco Factory and Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol – May 28-29

Europe’s largest street art festival is back this summer for its 15th year and this milestone edition of the festival is definitely one for the calendar. Once again, the streets of Bedminster in South Bristol will be transformed by street art’s biggest talents for an unforgettable weekend of live painting.

Upfest – photo: Paul Box

Love Saves the Day, Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, June 2-3

Bristol’s biggest music festival is back for its 10th year, taking place over the Jubilee weekend. This year it moves to a new home in the iconic grounds of Ashton Court Estate, and this landmark anniversary of the festival promises to be the biggest and best yet, with a stellar line-up of international artists.

Love Saves the Day – photo: courtesy of Plaster

HowTheLightGetsIn, Hay-on-Wye, June 2-5

The world’s largest music and philosophy festival returns, to the beautiful banks of the River Wye, for a unique bank holiday weekend of entertainment and reflection. This year, speakers include Richard Dawkins, Sir Roger Penrose and Yuval Noah Harari, and the musical headliners include Groove Armada (Tom Findlay), Django Django (DJ set) and Talvin Singh.

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The Great Estate, Cornwall, June 2-5

Quirky family boutique festival at Scorrier House in Redruth, with music, adventures and cabaret galore. This year’s lineup coincides with the Jubilee weekend, and features Manic Street Preachers, Electric Six, Craig Charles, Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Melle Mel’s Furious 5, DJ Yoda, Elektra Fence (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and much more.

DJ Yoda – photo: courtesy of Great Estate Festival

Forest Live at Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, June 9-12

Set against the glorious forest backdrop of Westonbirt, Forest Live will see four nights of concerts this June, from Keane, Madness, Rag’n’Bone Man, and Texas.

Bristol Comedy Garden, The Downs, Bristol, June 15-19

With reliably brilliant lineups and eight standup shows across five days, Bristol Comedy Garden has become a well-loved fixture in the city’s festival calendar. Names set to appear this year include Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, James Acaster, Lou Sanders, Rose Matafeo, Nina Conti, Reginald D Hunter, Jamali Maddix, Suzi Ruffell, Aisling Bea, John Robins and Chloe Petts.

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Bristol Sounds, Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol, June 22-27

The ever popular Bristol Sounds series continues, with six huge nights at the Lloyds Amphitheatre to soundtrack the summer. Kicking off the series is Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (plus Confidence Man), followed by Paolo Nutini, Elbow, Jungle (plus Kelly Lee Owens), First Aid Kit (plus Katy J Pearson), and finally The War on Drugs.

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Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, June 22-26

The mother of all festivals returns for the first time since 2019. Headliners Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar are joined by an eclectic bill of acts across more than a hundred stages, and all the circus, theatrics, art, family fun, and late night shenangians you could conceive of.

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Barn on the Farm, Over Farm, Gloucester, June 30-July 3

Expect a mix of breakthrough artists and rising stars at Gloucester’s small but perfectly formed Barn on the Farm weekend, across three stages. The festival has a sustainable focus, and will be featuring numerous local traders, with water taps around the site to reduce single-use plastic. The headliners include Holly Humberstone, Easy Life, Beabadoobee, Griff, and James Bay.

Photo: Barn on the Farm

Live at Longleat, Longleat, Warminster, various dates between June 23-July 2

Your chance to see a variety of musical power houses in beautiful setting of Longleat. The series opens with Tom Jones, and is followed up by evenings in the company of Simply Red, Ball & Boe and Diana Ross, before Tears for Fears perform the final concert on July 2.

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A Perfect Day – Powderham Castle, Exeter, July 3

A brand new one day outdoor live music event taking place in the grounds of the beautiful Powderham Castle, with David Gray, James Morrison, Tom Odell, Gabrielle, The Shires and Wildwood Kin. Visitors are encouraged to take their picnic blankets and enjoy the ultimate chilled day out with great music, fine food, and drink.

David Gray live – photo: courtesy of Hush PR/A Perfect Day

St Pauls Carnival: community event series – Bristol, venues and dates tbc

While the full Carnival will not take place in 2022 (set to return in 2023), a two-week series of community events is planned, including a St Pauls Carnival takeover event at Lost Horizon, a family picnic in St Pauls and a community-focused event at the Malcolm X Centre. The programme will also reflect the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence.

St Pauls Carnival – photo: courtesy of Purplefish

Bristol Pride – various venues, Bristol, June 25-July 10 (including Pride Day – The Downs, July 9)

Pride is back in Bristol its original format for 2022, with two weeks of events planned across the city, including the Pride Parade March, perennial favourites such as the Dog Show, theatre, circus, comedy and film, and the ever-popular after-parties. The jewel in the crown – Pride Day returns to the Downs on July 9, with several stages of live music and entertainment, alongisde a big top, youth area, family zone and community spaces.

Bristol Pride marches through the city centre – photo: Dan Regan

Bristol Beacon Presents – Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol, July 13-15

Bristol Beacon presents one of music’s greatest living legends, Nile Rodgers & CHIC for two nights in July at the Harbourside Amphitheatre. Renowned worldwide for their electric outdoor performances, this duo are the ultimate party band, and this performance is set to go down as one of Bristol’s most memorable summer events. They are followed up by an evening with indie-pop legends Belle and Sebastian, who are back in Bristol after a triumphant sell-out show at Bristol Beacon in 2015.

Nile Rodgers and CHIC – photo: courtesy of Bristol Beacon

Bristol Harbour Festival, Harbourside, Bristol, July 15-17

Back for its 50th anniversary and it’s going to be a memorable event for Bristol. The annual dance, music and arts extravaganza will be returning to the Harbourside with a tonne of family activities, circus performers, delicious food stalls, visiting vessels and some mega live music across all the stages on the waterfront.

Bristol Harbourside Festival – photo: Paul Box

Farmfest – Bruton, Somerset, July 29-30

Over 100 acts in the electronic, indie, folk, and world music genres have been booked to entertain 5000 visitors for that intimate festival feel. Curated by Head of Music Stu Matson, the festival manages to brilliantly combine everything from early morning workouts to lively kids workshops, riotous jumbles of jazz, brass-based bonanzas, stand-up comedy, and poetry.

Farmfest – photo: courtesy of Motus PR

Siren – Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol, July 29-30

Groove Armada headline Siren on Friday as part of their last full live UK tour, with support from Radio 6 Music DJ and Fun Lovin Criminals frontman Huey Morgan and stellar female representation from label Saffron Records and Scarlett O’Malley. On Saturday the main stage will feature some of drum & bass’s finest Hybrid Minds (+ Tempza) alongside support from Kings of the Rollers and Inja; a 20-year celebratory set from High Contrast, and Grafix, Flava D, Etherwood and more also taking to the stage.

High Contrast – photo: courtesy of Plaster

Fields of Fantasy – secret location on outskirts of Bristol, July 29-31

Promising three days of blissful hedonism set in an untouched location, the festival is proving its intentions by booking some of the biggest names in electronic music for the first event. Over the course of the weekend, there’ll be over 100 artists performing at the camping festival who’ll be attended by up to 10,000 people.

Lineup 2022 – image: Fields Of Fantasy Festival

Valley Fest – Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, August 4-7

Valley Fest is the best-tasting music festival in the South West. Held on the first weekend of August, this family-friendly festival has joined forces with Arcadia – the performance art collective and will put on a spectacular show. Travis, Clean Bandit, Roni Size b2b Nia Archives and Dynamite MC, Faithless (DJ Set) and The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club are on the bill. Josh Eggleton is curating the food programme so expect outstanding feasts, cooking demos and locally-sourced and regeneratively farmed produce galore. You are advised to arrive hungry!

Valley Fest (2021) – photo: Ania Shrimpton

Boomtown – Matterley Estate, South Downs, August 10-14

You’d be forgiven for not realising you’re not actually in Bristol, given the huge local contingent that makes the journey to the Matterley Estate to participate in the latest chapter of the unfolding, immersive experience of Boomtown. This year’s chapter is The Gathering, and most of the lineup is being kept secret until just before the festival, though it promises to encompass “music from across the globe and throughout the underground”.

Boomtown – photo: Benjamin Paul

Bristol Balloon Fiesta – Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, August 11-14

Europe’s largest annual hot air balloon festival is back for 2022 at its usual home at Ashton Court Estate. This spectacular event sees hundreds of hot air balloons taking off at dawn and dusk as well as the much-loved nightglows where balloons light up in time to music after dark. Expect four days of special shaped balloons, entertainment and fun for the entire family – it’s worth waking up early for.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2017 – photo: Paul Box

Shambala Festival – secret location in Northamptonshire, August 25-28

Run from Bristol and beloved of Bristolians, Shambala will be celebrating its 20th birthday this year. Environmentally pioneering, family friendly and bursting with joyfully-daft workshops, it’s a firm favourite among many a festival-goer. One of the UK’s greatest purveyors of play and purposeful hedonism, Shambala is a glorious mashup of mayhem and mischief, with sustainability at its heart. A true testament to the faith the audience has in the festival and its curation, it sells out before a single act is announced. And this year is no different, with general admission tickets flying out in a matter of days and only a tiny handful of cyclist packages still available.

Shambala Festival (2019) – photo: Ania Shrimpton

Forwards – The Downs, Bristol, September 3-4

New for 2022, inner city music festival Forwards comes to Clifton Downs in Bristol this year. The two-day festival will harness the power of live events to bring people together for incredible music moments and positive change. The event is headlined by The Chemical Brothers and Jamie XX, joined on the bill by Little Simz, Roisin Murphy, Khruangbin, Caribou, Fred Again, Sleaford Mods, Floating Points, Kae Tempest, Kojey Radical, Self Esteem, and The Comet is Coming and many more.

The Chemical Brothers – photo: James Basely

Little Orchard – Healey’s Cyder Farm, Cornwall, September 9-11

A charming Cornish party with big live bands at the UK’s fun-filled Cyder farm – Healey’s in Penhallow. Feeder and Kula Shaker headline.

Feeder – photo: Steve Gullick

Tokyo World – Eastville Park, Bristol, September 17-18

Details have yet to be released for this year’s Tokyo World, which is regarded as the final big festival of the summer in Bristol, with up to 20,000 fans descending on Eastville Park. Revellers can expect a banging lineup of techno, rap and drum n bass.

Main photo: courtesy of Plaster

Read more: Bristol’s cultural highlights of 2022

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