Bristol Harbour Festival announces full programme for 2023

Taking place on July 14 to 16, Bristol Harbour Festival have announced a whole host of live music, activities and events throughout the weekend.

Access Creative College; Bristol’s leading African & Caribbean community platform, Ujima Radio; and community radio station BCFM Radio will be soundtracking the weekend at Lloyd’s Amphitheatre.

Brand new for 2023, Access Creative College will be curating the amphitheatre stage, kicking off proceedings on Saturday from noon with singer-songwriter, Sadie Gledson, who promises to bring a range of genres including pop, electronic and alternative.

Plenty of homegrown talent will take to the stage with other notable acts including Marns, a singer-songwriter infusing genres of acoustic soul, RnB, EDM house and more.

A few in the crowd may also recognise her for more than her great music after her appearance in the BBC One’s Bristol-based hit comedy ‘The Outlaws’.

On Sunday, the Amphitheatre will once again be sparked into life by a double dose of Bristol-based indie bands Monday at Five and Lakedown.

The crescendo of diverse sounds will be closed by Bristol’s DJ Fitz, known as one of the most versatile house and D&B DJs in the city.

Tony Benjamin will be curating and programming the main stage, Music Quarter at Queens Square, which will be opened on Friday evening by all-female DJ troupe, Booty Bass.

Festival-goers can catch an array of artists and genres ranging from the silky Afro-Brazilian rhythms and vocal harmonies offered by all-female group Safrole to Access Creative College graduate, Solo Jane’s hypnotic house tunes.

Saturday will be headlined by Da Fuchaman’s Fire Blaze Band, the latest talent to emerge from Bristol’s thriving reggae scene.

The final day will start with the Bristol Reggae Orchestra and Windrush Choir, fresh from performing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, who will be marking the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain at this year’s event.

Closing the weekend on the main stage are Bristol favourites, Doreen Doreen.

A hip-hop, soul funk and disco party will be held on the MV Balmoral Friday hosted by the Caravan Collective.

The family fun kicks off on Saturday beginning with the Young Shipwrights Boat Race, which pits 100 model boats made by primary school children against each other.

This is followed by the legendary Cardboard Boat Race where teams battle it out to bring their handmade vessels home.

British Freestyle Jetski champion, Jack Moule will be performing a masterclass on how to look cool on the water, performing big air backflips, barrel rolls, twists and jumps.

College Green will host a myriad show-stopping entertainers at this year’s festival – ranging from daredevil stunts and circus performers to comedy shows and children’s entertainment, courtesy of Bristol’s very own Cirque Bijou.

Cabaret and street entertainment veterans, Jones and Barnard will be stage comperes across both Saturday and Sunday.

Contortionists, comedy sketch shows, world-record jugglers, dance groups and acrobatics will perform throughout the day.

The team at Jelli Records have curated an acoustic programme offering attendees a chill-out beach bar location at Millennium Square, which will become the Jelli Shack.

In keeping with the festival’s promise to push homegrown Bristol artists, a selection of the city’s local artists will perform in the square over the weekend.

The South West’s musical theatre choir, the Show Choir will get things underway on Saturday by singing songs from West End favourites as well as lesser-known off-Broadway gems, all in acapella.

The collective will be followed by the aforementioned Windrush Reggae Choir before acts such as 80s dance trio Gold Fever and musical enigma, Karen Swan and her Creatures band.

Sunday will continue to deliver the goods with Break Out Voices, a 60-member strong community choir based in Windmill Hill, singing acapella renditions of classic pop and rock hits.

Award-winning five-piece band, Terraplanes, will add its guitar and harmonica-driven rhythm & blues sound to proceedings before Chai for All’s classy, jazz-tinged renditions of Yiddish songs.

Jamaican band, Onika Venus will close the Jelli Shack with a tracklist featuring reggae-based, soulful ballads.

For more information on the weekends proceedings, visit www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk

Main photo: courtesy of Plaster PR

Read next:

• Shock at omission of dance stage from Harbour Festival
• Could partying and the planet go hand-in-hand?
• Local talent to be put at forefront of Bristol Harbour Festival 2023

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: